fornia 

lal 


/fcafters  ot  t)istOKS 


Romulus 


BY    JACOB    ABBOTT 


£N3RA\'!NGi> 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1904 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tne  year  1352,  bv 

HARPER  &  BKOrfljirto, 
in  the  Clerk's  Cilice  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


Copyright,  18SO,  by  BEXJAMIN  VACGHAN  ABBOTT,  AUSTIN  ABUOTT, 
LTMAN  ABBOTT,  and  EDWARD  ABBOTT. 


PREFACE. 


br  writing  the  series  of  historical  narratives  to 
which  the  present  work  pertains,  it  has  been  th« 
object  of  the  author  to  furnish  to  the  reading  com- 
munity of  this  country  an  accurate  and  faithful 
account  of  the  lives  and  actions  of  the  several  per- 
sonages that  are  made  successively  the  subjects  of 
the  volumes,  following  precisely  the  story  which  has 
come  down  to  us  from  ancient  times.  The  writer 
has  spared  no  pains  to  gain  access  in  all  cases  to  the 
original  sources  of  information,  and  has  confined 
himself  strictly  to  them.  The  reader  may,  therefore, 
feel  assured  in  perusing  any  one  of  these  works,  that 
the  interest  of  it  is  in  no  degree  indebted  to  the  inven- 
tion of  the  author.  No  incident,  however  trivial,  is 
ever  added  to  the  original  account,  nor  are  any  word* 
even,  in  any  case,  attributed  to  a  speaker  without 
express  authority.  Whatever  of  interest,  therefore, 
these  stories  may  possess,  is  due  solely  to  the  facts 
themselves  which  are  recorded  in  them,  and  to  their 
being  brought  together  in  a  plain,  simple,  and  coa- 
Meted  narrative. 


CONTENTS. 


L   OAD1CUB ....  IS 

1L    OADMUS'a    LETTERS. 86 

m.  THK   8TOET   OF    ,MfKAS 69 

IV.   THE    DESTRUCTION    OF   TEOT 79 

T.  THZ    FLIGHT   OF   JKNBAS. .  108 

n.   THX    LAND1XO    IN    LATIUU 181 

TIL   EHEA    8II-V1 A 165 

Tin.  THS   TWTN8 179 

K.   THX   FOUMDIXO    OF    ROM! 202 

X.  OROAKIZAT1OM 225 

XX  WITM 248 

JOI     THE    tABINI   WAR 270 

urn.  ram  OOICOLOUON 295 

y 


ENGRAVINGS. 


frontiepiece, 

AND  EUKOPA 28 

MAT JOU1.VETIX6S  OF  CADMUS 30 

SYMBOLICAL   WRITING 37 

SYMBOLICAL  AND  PHONETIC  WamNO 44 

HIEROGLYPHICS 56 

MAP— ORIGIN  OF  VENUS 61 

v£.\EAS  DEFENDING  THE  BODT  OF  PANDA&D8 68 

THE  TORTOIU 98 

HELEN 105 

MAP WANDERINGS   OF  JOiKAS 119 

MAP LATTDM ..  .  184 

SILVIA'S  STAG 143 

£BEA  ULVIA 180 

FAD8T0U78  AND  THE  TWINS , 184 

•UTCATION  OF  ROME 209 

PROMISING  THK  BRACELETS 284 

m  DEATH  OK  RUUCLU8 ,  .   SOI 


ROMULUS 


CHAPTEB  I. 
CADMUS. 


Diffnrent  kinds  of  greatne 


SOME  men  are  renowned  in  history  on  ac- 
count of  the  extraordinary  powers  and 
capacities  which  they  exhibited  in  the  course 
of  their  career,  or  the  intrinsic  greatness  of 
the  deeds  which  they  performed.  Others, 
without  having  really  achieved  any  thing  in 
itself  very  great  or  wonderful,  have  become 
widely  known  to  mankind  by  reason  of  the 
vast  consequences  which,  in  the  subsequent 
course  of  events,  resulted  from  their  doings 
Men  of  this  latter  class  are  conspicuous  rathei 
than  great.  From  among  thousands  of  other 
men  equally  exalted  in  character  with  them- 
selves, they  are  brought  out  prominently  to 
the  notice  of  mankind  only  in  consequence  of 
the  gtrong  light  reflected,  by  great  events  sub- 


14  ROMUL.US.  [B.C.  15<H> 

Founders  of  cities.  Roma,  lutureit  In  respect  to  its  onti'n. 

sequently  occuiTing,  back  upon  the  position 
where  they  happened  to  stand. 

The  celebrity  of  Romulus  seems  to  be  of 
this  latter  kind.  He  founded  a  city.  A 
thousand  other  men  have  founded  cities  ;  and 
in  doing  their  work  have  evinced  perhaps  as 
much  courage,  sagacity,  and  mental  power  as 
Romulus  displayed.  The  city  of  Romulus, 
however,  became  in  the  end  the  queen  and 
mistress  of  the  world.  It  rose  to  so  exalted  a 
position  of  influence  and  power,  and  retained 
its  ascendency  so  long,  that  now  for  twenty 
centuries  every  civilized  nation  in  the  western 
world  have  felt  a  strong  interest  in  every  thing 
pertaining  to  its  history,  and  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  look  back  with  special  curiosity  to 
the  circumstances  of  its  origin.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  it  has  happened  that  though 
Romulus,  in  his  actual  day,  performed  no 
very  great  exploits,  and  enjoyed  no  pre-emi- 
nence above  the  thousand  other  half-savage 
chieftains  of  his  class,  whose  names  have  been 
ong  forgotten,  and  very  probably  while  he 
jived  never  dreamed  of  any  extended  fame, 
yet  so  brilliant  is  the  illumination  which  the 
subsequent  events  of  history  have  shed  upon 
his  position  and  his  doings,  that  his  name  and 


B.C.  1500.]  CADMUS.  15 

The  itory  of  JSaeaa.  The  Mediterranean  B«L 

the  incidents  of  his  life  have  been  brought  out 
very  conspicuously  to  view,  and  attract  very 
strongly  the  attention  of  mankind. 

The  history  of  Rome  is  usually  made  to  be- 
gin  with  the  story  of  ^Eneas.  In  order  that 
the  reader  may  understand  in  what  light  that 
romantic  tale  is  to  be  regarded,  it  is  necessary 
to  premise  some  statements  in  respect  to  the 
general  condition  of  society  in  ancient  days, 
and  to  the  nature  of  the  strange  narrations, 
circulated  in  those  early  periods  among  man- 
kind, out  of  which  in  later  ages,  when  the  art 
of  writing  came  to  be  introduced,  learned 
men  compiled  and  recorded  what  they  termed 
history. 

The  countries  which  formed  the  shores  of 
the  Mediterranean  sea  were  as  verdant  and 
beautiful,  in  those  ancient  days,  and  perhaps 
as  fruitful  and  as  densely  populated  as  in 
modern  times.  The  same  Italy  and  Greece 
were  there  then  as  now.  There  were  the  same 
blue  and  beautiful  seas,  the  same  mountains, 
the  same  picturesque  and  enchanting  shores, 
the  same  smiling  valleys,  and  the  same  serene 
and  genial  sky.  The  level  lands  were  tilled 
industriously  by  a  rural  population  corre 


16  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500. 

Italy  and  Greece  In  ancient  times,  and  now. 

spending  in  all  essential  points  of  character 
with  the  peasantry  of  modern  times ;  and 
shepherds  and  herdsmen,  then  as  now,  hunted 
the  wild  beasts,  and  watched  their  flocks  and 
herds,  on  the  declivities  of  the  mountains.  In 
a  word,  the  appearance  of  the  face  of  nature, 
and  the  performance  of  the  great  function  of 
the  social  state,'  namely,  the  procuring  of  food 
and  clothing  for  man  by  the  artificial  cultiva 
tion  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  were  sub- 
stantially the  same  on  the  shores  of  the  Medi- 
terranean two  thousand  years  ago  as  now. 
Even  the  plants  and  the  animals  themselves 
which  the  ancient  inhabitants  reared,  have 
undergone  no  essential  change.  Their  sheep 
and  oxen  and  horses  were  the  same  as  ours. 
So  were  their  grapes,  their  apples,  and  their 
corn. 

If,  however,  we  leave  the  humbler  classes 
and  occupations  of  society,  and  turn  our  at 
tention  to  those  which  represent  the  refine- 
ment, the  cultivation,  and  the  power,  of  the 
two  respective  periods,  we  shall  find  that  al- 
most all  analogy  fails.  There  was  an  aris- 
tocracy then  as  now,  ruling  over  the  widely- 
extended  communities  of  peaceful  agricultu- 
ralists and  herdsmen,  but  the  members  of  it 


B.C.  1500.J  CADMUS.  17 

Ancient  chieftain*.  Their  modes  of  ltf». 

were  entirely  different  in  their  character, 
their  tastes,  their  ideas,  and  their  occupations 
from  the  classes  which  exercise  the  preroga- 
tives of  government  in  Europe  in  modem 
times.  The  nobles  then  were  military  chief- 
tains, living  in  camps  or  in  walled  cities,  which 
they  built  for  the  accommodation  of  them- 
selves and  their  followers.  These  chieftains 
were  not  barbarians.  They  were  in  a  certain 
sense  cultivated  and  refined.  They  gathered 
around  them  in  their  camps  and  in  their  courts 
orators,  poets,  statesmen,  and  officers  of  every 
grade,  who  seem  to  have  possessed  the  same 
energy,  genius,  taste,  and  in  some  respects  the 
same  scientific  skill,  which  have  in  all  ages 
and  in  every  clime  characterized  the  upper 
classes  of  the  Caucasian  race.  They  earned 
all  the  arts  which  were  necessary  for  their 
purposes  and  plans  to  high  perfection,  and  in 
the  invention  of  tales,  ballads  and  poems,  to 
be  recited  at  their  entertainments  and  feasts, 
they  evinced  the  most  admirable  taste  and 
skill ; — a  taste  and  skill  which,  as  they  resulted 
not  from  the  operation  and  influence  of  arti- 
ficial rules,  but  from  the  unerring  instinct  of 
genius,  have  never  been  surpassed.  In  fact, 
the  poetical  inventions  of  those  early  days,  far 
21—2 


18  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Religious  ideas  of  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans. 

from  having  been  produced  in  conformity 
\vith  rules,  were  entirely  precedent  to  rules,  in 
the  order  of  time.  Hules  were  formed  from 
them  ;  for  they  at  length  became  established 
themselves  in  the  estimation  of  mankind,  as 
models,  and  on  their  authority  as  models, 
the  whole  theory  of  rhetorical  and  poetical 
beauty  now  mainly  reposes. 

The  people  of  those  days  formed  no  idea  of 
a  spiritual  world,  or  of  a  spiritual  divinity. 
They  however  imagined,  that  heroes  of  former 
days  still  continued  to  live  and  to  reign  in 
certain  semi-heavenly  regions  among  the  sum- 
mits of  their  blue  and  beautiful  mountains, 
and  that  they  were  invested  there  with  attri- 
butes in  some  respects  divine.  In  addition  to 
these  divinities,  the  fertile  fancy  of  those 
ancient  times  filled  the  earth,  the  air,  the  sea, 
and  the  sky  with  imaginary  beings,  all  most 
graceful  and  beautiful  in  their  forms,  and 
poetical  in  their  functions, — and  made  them 
the  subjects,  too,  of  innumerable  legends  ani 
tales,  as  graceful,  poetical,  and  beautiful  ae 
:iiemselves.  Every  grove,  and  fountain,  and 
river, — every  lofty  summit  among  the  nioun 
tains,  and  every  rock  and  promontory  along 
the  shores  of  the  sea, — every  cave,  every  val 


B.C.  1500.]  CADMUS.  19 

Anctent  nudies  of  nature.  Purpose  of  tbam. 

ley,  every  water-fall,  had  its  imagiuary  occu- 
pant,— the  genius  of  the  spot ;  so  that  every 
~i atnral  object  which  attracted  public  notice  at 
%11,  was  the  subject  of  some  picturesque  and 
romantic  story.  In  a  word,  nature  was  not 
explored  then  as  now,  for  the  purpose  of  as- 
certaining and  recording  cold  and  scientific 
realities, — but  to  be  admired,  and  embellish- 
ed, and  animated  ; — and  to  be  peopled,  every- 
where, with  exquisitely  beautiful,  though  ima- 
ginary and  supernatural,  life  and  action. 

"What  the  genius  of  imagination  and  ro- 
mance did  thus  in  ancient  times  with  the 
scenery  of  nature,  it  did  also  on  the  field  of 
history.  Men  explored  that  field  not  at  all  to 
learn  sober  and  actual  realities,  but  to  find 
something  that  they  might  embellish  and 
adorn,  and  animate  with  supernatural  and 
marvelous  life.  What  the  sober  realities 
might  have  actually  been,  was  of  no  interest 
or  moment  to  them  whatever.  There  were  no 
scholars  then  as  now,  living  in  the  midst  of 
ibraries,  and  finding  constant  employment, 
and  a  never-ending  pleasure,  in  researches 
for  the  simple  investigation  of  the  truth. 
There  was  in  fact  no  retirement,  no  seclusion, 
no  study.  Every  thing  except  what  related  to 


20  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1500. 

History.  Ancient  poems  and  talM. 

tbe  mere  daily  toil  of  tilling  the  ground  bore 
direct  relation  to  military  expeditions,  spec- 
tacles and  parades ;  and  the  only  field  for  the 
exercise  of  that  kind  of  intellectual  ability 
which  is  employed  in  modern  times  in  inves- 
tigating and  recording  historic  truth,  was  the 
mvention  and  recitation  of  poems,  dramas  and 
tales,  to  amuse  great  military  audiences  in 
camps  or  public  gatherings,  convened  to  wit- 
ness shows  or  games,  or  to  celebrate  great  re- 
ligious festivals.  Of  course  under  such  cir- 
cumstances there  would  be  no  interest  felt  in 
truth  as  truth.  Romance  and  fable  would  be 
Tar  more  serviceable  for  such  ends  than  re- 
ality. 

Still  it  is  obvious  that  such  tales  as  were  in- 
rented  to  amuse  for  the  purposes  we  have  de 
•cribed,  would  have  a  deeper  interest  for 
those  who  listened  to  them,  if  founded  in 
some  measure  upon  fact,  and  connected  in 
respect  to  the  scene  of  their  occurrence,  with 
real  localities.  A  prince  and  his  court  sitting 
at  their  tables  in  the  palace  or  the  tent,  at  the 
close  of  a  feast,  would  listen  with  greater  in- 
terest to  a  story  that  purported  to  be  an  ac- 
count of  the  deeds  and  the  marvelous  adven- 
tures of  their  O^»TJ  ancestors,  than  to  one  that 


B.C.  1500.]  CADMUS.  21 

How  tor  founded  In  fast 


was  wholly  and  avowedly  imaginary.  The 
inventors  of  these  tales  would  of  course  gen- 
erally choose  such  subjects,  and  their  narra- 
tions would  generally  consist  therefore  rather 
of  embellishments  of  actual  transactions,  than 
of  inventions  wholly  original.  Their  heroes 
were  consequently  real  men;  the  principal 
actions  ascribed  to  them  were  real  actions, 
and  the  places  referred  to  were  real  localities. 
Thus  there  was  a  semblance  of  truth  and  real- 
ity in  all  these  tales  which  added  greatly  to 
the  interest  of  them  ;  while  there  were  no 
means  of  ascertaining  the  real  truth,  and  thus 
spoiling  the  story  by  making  the  falsehood  or 
improbability  of  it  evident  and  glaring. 

"We  cannot  well  have  a  better  illustration 
of  these  principles  than  is  afforded  by  the 
story  of  Cadmus,  an  adventurer  who  was  said 
to  have  brought  the  knowledge  of  alphabetic 
writing  into  Greece  from  some  countries 
farther  eastward.  In  modern  times  there  is  a 
rery  strong  interest  felt  in  ascertaining  th« 
exact  truth  on  this  subject.  The  art  of  writ- 
ing with  alphabetic  characters  was  so  great 
an  invention,  and  it  has  exerted  so  vast  an  in- 
fluence on  the  condition  and  progress  of  man- 
kind since  it  was  introduced,  that  a  very 


22  KOMULDS.  [B.C.  1500 

Interest  felt  in  reepect  to  the  origin  of  writing. 

strong  interest  is  now  felt  in  every  thing  that 
can  be  ascertained  as  actually  fact,  iii  respect 
to  its  origin.  If  it  were  possible  now  to  de- 
termine under  what  circumstances  the  method 
*f  representing  the  elements  of  sound  bv 
written  characters  was  first  devised,  to  dis- 
cover who  it  was  that  first  conceived  the  idea, 
and  what  led  him  to  make  the  attempt,  what 
difficulties  he  encountered,  to  what  purposes 
he  first  applied  his  invention,  and  to  what  re- 
sults it  led,  the  whole  world  would  take  a 
very  strong  interest  in  the  revelation.  The 
essential  point,  however,  to  be  observed,  is 
that  it  is  the  real  truth  in  respect  to  the  sub- 
ject that  the  world  are  now  interested  in 
knowing.  Were  a  romance  writer  to  invent 
a  tale  in  respect  to  the  origin  of  writing,  how- 
ever ingenious  and  entertaining  it  might  be 
in  its  details,  it  would  excite  in  the  learned 
world  at  the  present  day  no  Interest  whatever. 
There  is  in  fact  no  account  at  present  ex 
isting  in  respect  to  the  actual  origin  of  alpha 
betic  characters,  though  there  is  an  account 
of  the  circumstances  under  which  the  art 
was  brought  into  Europe  from  Asia,  where  it 
seems  to  have  been  originally  invented.  Wo 
give  the  facts,  first  in  their  simple  form. 


B.C.  1500.  j  CADMUS.  23 

Tru«  nor  j  of  Cadmcu.  His  father  Agwor  Eoropa. 

and  then  the  narrative  in  the  form  in  which 
it  was  related  in  ancient  times,  as  embellished 
oy  the  ancient  story-tellers. 

The  facts  then,  as  now  generally  under 
sVxxl  and  believed,  are,  that  there  was  a  cer- 
tain king  in  some  country  in  Africa,  named 
Agenor,  who  lived  abont  1500  years  before 
Christ.  lie  had  a  daughter  named  Enropa, 
and  several  sons.  Among  his  sons  was  one 
named  Cadmus.  Europa  was  a  beautiful  girl, 
and  after  a  time  a  wandering  adventurer  from 
some  part  of  the  northern  shores  of  the  Med- 
iterranean sea,  came  into  Africa,  and  was  so 
much  pleased  with  her  that  he  resolved  if 
possible,  to  obtain  her  for  his  wife.  He  did 
not  dare  to  make  proposals  openly,  and  he 
accordingly  disguised  himself  and  mingled 
with  the  servants  upon  Agenor's  farm.  In  this 
disguise  he  succeeded  in  making  acquaint- 
ance with  Europa,  and  finally  persuaded  her 
to  elope  with  him.  The  pair  accordingly  fled, 
and  crossing  the  Mediterranean  they  went  to 
Crete,  an  island  near  the  northern  shores  of 
the  sea,  and  there  they  lived  together. 

The  father,  when  he  found  that  his  daugh- 
ter had  deceived  him  and  gone  away,  waa 
very  indigiiant,  and  sent  Cadmus  and  hii 


'24  KOMULTJS.  [B.C.  1500. 

Telephassa.  The  pursuit  of  Eoropa.  Fruitless  molt 

brothers  in  pursuit  of  her.  The  mother  of 
Europa,  whose  name  was  Telephassa,  though 
less  indignant  perhaps  than  the  father,  was 
overwhelmed  with  grief  at  the  loss  of  her 
child,  and  determined  to  accompany  her  sons 
in  the  search.  She  accordingly  took  leave 
of  her  husband  and  of  her  native  land,  and 
set  out  with  Cadmus  and  her  other  sons  on 
the  long  journey  in  search  of  her  lost  child. 
Agenor  charged  his  sons  never  to  come  home 
again  unless  they  brought  Europa  with  them. 
Cadmus,  with  '  Ms  mother  and  brothers, 
traveled  slowly  toward  the  northward,  along 
the  eastern  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  sea, 
Inquiring  everywhere  for  the  fugitive.  They 
passed  through  Syria  and  Phenicia,  into  Asia 
Minor,  and  from  Asia  Minor  into  Greece. 
At  length  Telephassa,  worn  down,  perhaps, 
by  fatigue,  disappointment,  and  grief,  died. 
Cadmus  and  his  brothers  soon  after  became 
discouraged;  and  at  last,  weary  with  their 
wanderings,  and  prevented  by  their  father's 
injunction  from  returning  without  Europa, 
they  determined  to  settle  in  Greece.  In  at 
tempting  to  establish  themselves  there,  how- 
ever, they  became  involved  in  various  con 
flicts,  first  with  wild  beasts,  and  afterward 


B.C.  1500.]  CADMUS.  25 

Cadmus  settles  in  Greece.  Thebes.  Arts  introduced  by  him. 

with  men,  the  natives  of  the  land,  who  seemed 
to  spring  up,  as  it  were,  from  the  ground,  to 
oppose  them.  They  contrived,  however,  at 
length,  by  fomenting  quarrels  among  their 
enemies,  and  taking  sides  with  one  party 
against  the  rest,  to  get  a  permanent  footing 
in  Greece,  and  Cadmus  finally  founded  a  city 
there,  which  he  called  Thebes. 

In  establishing  the  institutions  and  govern- 
ment of  Thebes,  and  in  arranging  the  organi- 
zation of  the  people  into  a  social  state,  Cadmus 
introduced  among  them  several  arts,  which, 
in  that  part  of  the  country,  had  been  before 
unknown.  One  of  these  arts  was  the  use  of 
copper,  which  metal  he  taught  his  new  sub 
jects  to  procure  from  the  ore  obtained  in 
mines.  There  were  several  others;  but  the 
most  important  of  all  was  that  he  taught  them 
sixteen  letters  representing  elementary  voca. 
sounds,  by  means  of  which  inscriptions  oi 
words  could  be  carved  upon  monuments,  01 
upon  tablets  of  metal  or  of  stone. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  the  idea  of  rep- 
'•esenting  the  elements  of  vocal  sounds  by 
characters  originated  with  Cadmus,  or  that 
he  invented  the  characters  himself.  He 
brought  them  with  him  undoubtedly,  bul 


26  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

The  ancient  legend  of  Cadmus.  Jupiter. 

whether  from  Egypt  or  Phenicia,  can  not  now 
be  known. 

Such  are  the  facts  of  the  case,  as  now  gen 
orally  understood  and  believed.  Let  us  now 
compare  this  simple  narration  with  the  ro- 
mantic tale  which  the  early  story-tellers  made 
from  it.  The  legend,  as  they  relate  it,  is  as 
follows. 

Jupiter  was  a  prince  born  and  bred  among 
the  summits  of  Mount  Ida,  in  Crete.  His 
father's  name  was  Saturn.  Saturn  had  made 
an  agreement  that  he  would  cause  all  his  sons 
to  be  slain,  as  soon  as  they  were  born.  This 
was  to  appease  his  brother,  who  was  his  rival, 
and  who  consented  that  Saturn  should  con- 
tinue to  reign  only  on  that  condition. 

Jupiter's  mother,  however,  was  very  un- 
willing that  her  boys  should  be  thus  cruelly 
put  to  death,  and  she  contrived  to  conceal 
three  of  them,  and  save  them.  The  three 
thus  preserved  were  brought  up  among  the 
solitudes  of  the  mountains,  watched  and  at- 
tended by  nymphs,  and  nursed  by  a  goat. 
After  they  grew  up,  they  engaged  from  time 
to  time  in  various  wars,  and  met  with  various 
wonderful  adventures,  until  at  length  Jupiter, 
the  oldfeot  uf  them,  succeeded,  by  means  of 


B.C.  1500.J  CADMUS.  27 

A.  irontnre*  of  Jupitor.  His  love  for  Europa. 

thunderbolts  which  he  caused  to  be  forged 
for  his  use,  in  vast  subterranean  caverns  be- 
neath Mount  Etna  and  Mount  Vesuvius,  con- 
quered all  his  enemies,  and  became  universal 
king.  He,  however,  divided  his  empire  be- 
tween himself  and  his  brothers,  giving  to 
them  respectively  the  command  of  the  sea 
and  of  the  subterranean  regions,  while  he 
reserved  the  earth  and  the  heavenly  regions 
for  himself. 

He  established  his  usual  abode  among  the 
mountains  of  Northern  Greece,  but  he  often 
made  excursions  to  and  fro  upon  the  earth, 
appearing  in  various  disguises,  and  meeting 
with  a  great  number  of  strange  and  marvel- 
ous adventures.  In  the  course  of  these  wan- 
derings he  found  his  way  at  one  time  into 
Egypt,  and  to  the  dominions  of  Agenor, — and 
there  he  saw  Agenor's  beautiful  daughter, 
Europa.  He  immediately  determined  to  make 
her  his  bride ;  and  to  secure  this  object  he 
assumed  the  form  of  a  very  finely  shaped  and 
beautiful  bull,  and  in  this  guise  joined  him- 
self to  Agenor's  herds  of  cattle.  Europa 
soon  saw  him  there.  She  was  much  pleased 
with  the  beauty  of  his  form,  and  finding  him 
gentle  and  kind  in  disposition,  she  approached 


28 


ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500. 


His  elopement. 


Jupiter  and  Europa  in  Crete. 


him,  patted  his  glossy  neck  and  sides,  and  in 
other  similar  ways  gratified  the  prince  by 
marks  of  her  admiration  and  pleasure.  She 


JUPITER  AND  EUROPA. 


was  at  length  induced  by  some  secret  and 
magical  influence  which  the  prince  exerted 
over  her,  to  mount  upon  his  back,  and  allow 
herself  to  be  borne  away.  The  bull  ran  with 
his  burden  to  the  shore,  and  plunged  into 
the  waves.  He  swam  across  the  sea  to  Crete,* 

*  See  Map,  p.  30. 


B.C.  1500.]  CADMUS.  29 

Th»  expedition  of  Cadmus.  His  various  wanderiu**. 

and  there,  resuming  his  proper  form,  he 
made  the  princess  his  bride. 

Agenor  and  Telephassa,  when  they  found 
that  their  daughter  was  gone,  were  in  great 
distress,  and  Agenor  immediately  determined 
to  send  his  sons  on  an  expedition  in  pursuit 
of  her.  The  names  of  his  sons  were  Cadmus, 
Phoenix,  Cylix,  Thasus,  and  Phineus.  Cad- 
mus, as  the  oldest  son,  was  to  be  the  director 
of  the  expedition.  Telephassa,  the  mother, 
resolved  to  accompany  them,  so  overwhelmed 
was  she  with  affliction  at  the  loss  of  her 
daughter.  Agenor  himself  was  almost  equally 
oppressed  with  the  calamity  which  had  over 
whelmed  them,  and  he  charged  his  sons  never 
to  come  home  again  until  they  could  bring 
Europa  with  them. 

Telephassa  and  her  sons  wandered  for  a 
time  in  the  countries  east  of  the  Mediterra 
nean  sea,  without  being  able  to  obtain  any 
tidings  of  the  fugitive.  At  length  they  passed 
mto  Asia  Minor,  and  from  Asia  Minor  into 
Thrace,  a  country  lying  north  of  the  JSgean 
Sea.  Finding  no  traces  of  their  sister  in  any 
of  these  countries,  the  sons  of  Agenor  became 
discouraged,  and  resolved  to  make  no  farther 
search  ;  and  Telephassa.  exhausted  with  anxi- 


30 


Death  of  Telephassa- 


ROMULUS. 


[B.C.  1500. 


Visit  to  the  oracle  at  Delphi. 


ety  and  fatigue,  and  now  overwhelmed  with 
the  thought  that  all  hope  must  he  finally 
abandoned,  sank  down  and  died. 


THE  JOURNEYINGS  OF  CADMUS. 


Cadmus  and  his  brothers  were  much  af- 
fected at  their  mother's  death.  They  made 
arrangements  for  her  burial,  in  a  manner  be- 
fitting her  high  rank  and  station,  and  when 
the  funeral  solemnities  had  been  perforned, 
Cadmus  repaired  to  the  oracle  at  Delphi, 
which  was  situated  in  the  northern  part  of 


B.C.  1500.  j  CADMUS.  31 

The  direction;)  of  the  oracle.  Cadmus  finds  hie  guide. 

Greece,  not  very  far  from  Thrace,  in  order 
that  he  might  inquire  there  whether  there 
was  any  thing  more  that  ne  could  do  to  re- 
cover his  lost  sister,  and  if  so  to  learn  what 
course  he  was  to  pursue.  The  oracle  replied  to 
him  that  he  must  search  for  his  sister  no  more, 
but  instead  of  it  turn  his  attention  wholly  to 
he  work  of  establishing  a  home  and  a  king- 
dom for  himself,  in  Greece.  To  this  end  he 
was  to  travel  on  in  a  direction  indicated  until 
he  met  with  a  cow  of  a  certain  kind,  described 
by  the  oracle,  and  then  to  follow  the  cc»™ 
wherever  she  might  lead  the  way,  until  at 
length,  becoming  fatigued,  she  should  stop 
and  lie  down.  Upon  the  spot  where  the  cow 
should  lie  down  he  was  to  build  a  city  and 
make  it  his  capital. 

Cadmus  obeyed  these  directions  of  the  ora 
cle.  He  left  Delphi  and  went  on,  attended, 
as  he  had  been  in  all  his  wanderings,  by  a 
troop  of  companions  and  followers,  until  al 
length  in  the  herds  of  one  of  the  people  of 
the  country,  named  Pelagon,  he  found  a  cow 
answering  to  the  description  of  the  oracle 
Taking  this  cow  for  his  guide,  he  followed 
wherever  she  led  the  way.  She  conducted 
him  toward  the  southward  and  eastward  foi 


82  ItoMULCs.  [B.C.  1500 

Fbe  place  for  hi*  city  determined.  The  fountain  of  Diroe. 

thirty  or  forty  miles,  .and  at  length  wearied 
apparently,  by  her  long  journey,  she  lay 
ilown.  Cadmus  knew  immediately  that  this 
was  the  spot  where  his  city  was  to  stand. 

He  began  immediately  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  the  building  of  the  city,  but  he  de- 
termined first  to  offer  the  cow  that  had  been 
his  divinely  appointed  guide  to  the  spot,  as  a 
sacrifice  to  Minerva,  whom  he  always  consid- 
ered as  his  guardian  goddess. 

Near  the  spot  where  the  cow  lay  down  there 
was  a  small  stream  which  issued  from  a  foun- 
tain not  far  distant,  called  the  fountain  of 
Dirce.  Cadmus  sent  some  of  nis  men  to  the 
place  to  obtain  some  water  which  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  use  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  sacri- 
fice. It  happened,  however,  that  this  fountain 
was  a  sacred  one,  having  been  consecrated  to 
Mars, — and  there  was  a  great  dragon,  a  son 
of  Mars,  stationed  there  to  guard  it.  The 
men  whom  Cadmus  sent  did  not  return,  and 
accordingly  Cadmus  himself,  after  waiting  a 
suitable  time,  proceeded  to  the  spot  to  as- 
certain the  cause  of  the  delay.  He  found 
that  the  dragon  had  killed  his  men,  and  at 
the  time  when  he  arrived  at  the  spot,  the  mon- 
iter  was  greedily  devouring  the  bodies.  Cad- 


b.C.  1500.]  CADMUS.  33 

Tb«  dragon's  teeth.  Thebe*  built.  CatiraLa. 

inus  immediately  attacked  the  dragon  and 
slew  him,  and  then  tore  his  teeth  out  cf  his 
head,  as  trophies  of  his  victory.  Minerva  had 
assisted  Cadmus  in  this  combat,  and  when  it 
was  ended  she  directed  him  to  plant  the  teeth 
af  the  dragon  in  the  ground.  Cadmus  did  so, 
and  immediately  a  host  of  armed  men  sprung, 
up  from  the  place  where  he  had  planted  them. 
Cadmus  threw  a  stone  among  these  armed 
men,  when  they  immediately  began  to  con- 
tend together  in  a  desperate  conflict,  until  at 
length  all  but  five  of  them  were  slain.  These 
five  then  joined  themselves  to  Cadmus,  and 
helped  him  to  build  his  city. 

He  went  on  very  successfully  after  this. 
The  city  which  he  built  was  Thebes,  which 
afterward  became  greatly  celebrated.  The 
citadel  which  he  erected  within,  he  called, 
from  his  own  name,  Cadmia. 

Such  were  the  legends  which  were  related 
in  ancient  poems  and  tales  ;  and  it  is  obvious 
that  such  narratives  must  have  been  composed 
to  entertain  groups  of  listeners  whose  main 
desire  was  to  be  excited  and  amused,  and  not 
to  be  instructed.  The  stories  were  believed, 
no  doubt,  and  the  faith  which  the  hearer  felt 
in  their  truth  added  of  course  very  greatly  to 
21—3 


34  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Ancient  ideas  of  probability.  Belief  in  supernatural  Ules. 

the  interest  which  they  awakened  in  his  mind. 
The  stories  are  amusing  to  us  ;  but  it  is  im- 
possible for  us  to  share  in  the  deep  and  sol 
earn  emotion  with  which  the  ancient  audiencee 
listened  to  them,  for  we  have  not  the  power, 
as  they  had,  of  believing  them.  Such  tales 
related  in  respect  to  the  great  actors  on  the 
stage  in  modern  times,  would  awaken  no  in- 
terest, for  there  is  too  general  a  diffusion  both 
of  historical  and  philosophical  knowledge  to 
render  it  possible  for  any  one  to  suppose  there 
to  be  true.  But  those  for  whom  the  story  of 
Europa  was  invented,  had  no  means  of  know 
ing  how  wide  the  Mediterranean  sea  might 
be,  and  whether  a  bull  might  not  swim  across 
it.  They  did  not  know  but  that  Mars  might 
have  a  dragon  for  a  son,  and  that  the  teeth  of 
such  a  dragon  might  not,  when  sown  in  the 
ground,  spring  up  in  the  form  of  a  troop  of 
armed  men.  They  listened  therefore  to  the 
tale  with  an  interest  all  the  more  earnest  and 
solemn  on  account  of  the  marvelousness  of 
the  recital.  They  repeated  it  word  for  word 
to  one  another,  around  their  camp-fires,  at  theii 
feasts,  in  their  journeyings, — and  when  watch 
ing  their  flocks  at  midnight,  among  the  soli- 
tudes of  the  mountains.  Thus  the  tales  were 


B.C.  1500.]  CADMUS.  35 

Final  recording  of  the  ancient  tales. 

handed  down  from  generation  to  generation 
until  at  length  the  use  of  the  letters  of  Cad- 
mus became  so  far  facilitated,  that  continuous 
narrations  could  be  expressed  by  means  of 
them  ;  and  then  they  were  put  permanently 
upon  record  in  many  forms ,  and  were  thus 
transmitted  without  any  farther  change  to  the 
present  age. 


36  KOMULUS.  [E.G.  1500. 

Tw.  -node*  of  writing.  Symbols.  Example. 


CHAPTER  II. 
OADMUS'S   LETTEBS. 


are  two  modes  essentially  distinct 
A  from  each  other,  by  which  ideas  may  be 
communicated  through  the  medium  of  inscrip- 
tions addressed  to  the  eye.  These  two  modes 
are,  first,  by  symbolical,  and  secondly,  by 
phonetic  characters.  Each  of  these  two  sys- 
tems assumes,  in  fact,  within  itself,  quite  a 
variety  of  distinct  forms,  though  it  is  only  the 
general  characteristics  which  distinguish  the 
two  great  classes  from  each  other,  that  we 
shall  have  occasion  particularly  to  notice 
here. 

Symbolical  writing  consists  of  characters 
{ntended  severally  to  denote  ideas  or  thingtt 
and  not  words.  A  good  example  of  true 
symbolical  writing  is  to  be  found  in  a  cer- 
tain figure  often  employed  among  the  archi- 
tectural decorations  of  churches,  as  an  em- 
blem of  the  Deity.  It  consists  of  a  triangle 


B.C. 1500.]  CADMUS'S  LETTERS.  37 

Example.  Symbol  of  the  Deity.  Ancient  Symbols. 

representing     the     Trinity 
with  the  figure  of  an  eye 
in  the  middle  of  it.     The 
3ye   is   intended  to  denote 
the      divine      omniscience. 
Such  a  character  as  this,  is 
obviously  the  symbol  of  an 
idea,  not   the   representative   of  a   word.      It 
may  be  read  Jehovah,  or  Grod,  or  the  Deity, 
or  by  any  other  word  or  phrase  by  which  men 
are  accustomed  to  denote  the  Supreme  Being. 
It  represents,  in  fine,  the  idea,  and  not  any 
particular   word    by   which    the   idea    is    ex- 
pressed. 

The  first  attempts  of  men  to  preserve  rec- 
ords of  facts  by  means  of  inscriptions,  have, 
in  all  ages,  and  among  all  nations,  been  of 
this  character.  At  first,  the  inscriptions  so 
made  were  strictly  pictures,  in  which  the 
whole  scene  intended  to  be  commemorated 
^ras  represented,  in  rude  carvings.  In  process 
of  time  substitutions  and  abridgments  were 
adopted  in  lieu  of  full  representations,  and 
these  grew  at  length  into  a  system  of  hiero- 
glyphical  characters,  some  natural,  and  others 
more  or  less  arbitrary,  but  all  denoting  ideas 
or  things,  and  not  the  sounds  of  words.  These 


38  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  150o. 

Tin,  Egyptian  hieroglyphics  phonetic.  Natur.il  symbols. 

characters  are  of  the  kind  usually  understood 
by  the  word  hieroglyphics  ;  though  that  word 
can  not  now  with  strict  accuracy  be  applied  as 
a  distinctive  appellation,  since  it  has  been  as- 
certained in  modern  times  that  a  large  portion 
of  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics  are  of  such  a 
nature  as  brings  them  within  the  second  of 
the  two  classes  which  we  are  here  describing  , 
that  is,  the  several  delineations  represent  the 
sounds  and  syllables  of  words,  instead  of 
being  symbols  of  ideas  or  things. 

It  happened  that  in  some  cases  in  this  spe- 
cies of  writing,  as  used  in  ancient  times,  the 
characters  which  were  employed  presented  in 
their  form  some  natural  resemblance  to  the 
thing  signified,  and  .in  other  cases  they  were 
wholly  arbitrary.  Thus,  the  figure  of  a  seep 
ter  denoted  a  king,  that  of  a  lion,  strength ; 
find  two  warriors,  one  with  a  shield,  and  the 
other  advancing  toward  the -first  with  a  bow 
and  arrow,  represented  a  battle.  We  use  in 
fact  a  symbol  similar  to  the  last-mentioned 
Dne  at  the  present  day,  upon  maps,  where  wt 
often  see  a  character  formed  by  two  swords 
crossed,  employed  to  represent  a  battle. 

The  ancient  Mexicans  had  a  mode  of  writ- 
hig  which  seems  to  have  been  symbolical  in 


B.C.  1500.]     CADMUS'S  LETTERS.  39 

Mexican  record.  Arbitrary  symbol*. 

its  character,  and  their  characters  had,  many 
of  them  at  least,  a  natural  signification.  The 
.ILfferent  cities  and  towns  were  represented  by 
drawings  of  such  simple  objects  as  were  char- 
acteristic of  them  respectively ;  as  a  plant,  a 
tree,  an  article  of  manufacture,  or  any  othel 
object  by  which  the  place  in  question  was 
most  easily  and  naturally  to  be  distinguished 
from  other  places.  In  one  of  their  inscrip- 
tions, for  example,  there  was  a  character  rep- 
resenting a  king,  and  before  it  four  heads. 
Each  of  the  heads  was  accompanied  by  the 
symbol  of  the  capital  of  a  province,  as  above 
described.  The  meaning  of  the  whole  inscrip- 
tion was  that  in  a  certain  tumult  or  insurrec- 
tion ihe  king  caused  the  governors  of  the  four 
cities  to  be  beheaded. 

But  though,  in  this  symbolical  mode  of 
writing,  a  great  many  ideas  and  events  could 
be  represented  thus,  by  means  of  signs  or 
symbols  having  a  greater  or  less  resemblance 
to  the  thing,  signified,  yet  in  many  cases  the 
characters  used  were  wholly  arbitrary.  They 
were  in  this  respect  like  the  character  which 
we  use  to  denote  dollars,  as  a  prefix  to  a  num- 
ber expressing  money  ;  for  this  character  is  a 
sort  of  symbol,  that  ia,  it  represents  a  thing 


*0  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1500. 

Ad  vnntaeee  of  the  symbolical  mode  of  writing. 

rather  than  a  word.  Our  numerals,  too,  1,  2, 
3,  &c.,  are  in  some  respects  of  the  character 
of  symbols.  That  is,  they  stand  directly  for 
the  numbers  themselves,  and  not  for  the 
sounds  of  the  words  by  which  the  numbers 
are  expressed.  Hence,  although  the  people 
of  different  European  nations  understand  them 
all  alike,  they  read  them,  in  words,  very  dif- 
ferently. The  Englishman  reads  them  by  one 
set  of  words,  the  Spaniard  by  another,  and 
the  German  and  the  Italian  by  others  still. 

The  symbolical  mode  of  writing  possesses 
some  advantages  which  must  not  be  over- 
looked. It  speaks  directly  to  the  eye,  and 
is  more  full  of  meaning  than  the  Phonetic 
method,  though  the  meaning  is  necessarily 
more  vague  and  indistinct,  in  some  respects, 
while  it  is  less  so  in  others.  For  example, 
in  an  advertising  newspaper,  the  simple  fig- 
ure of  a  house,  or  of  a  ship,  or  of  a  loco- 
motive engine,  at  the  head  of  an  advertise- 
ment, is  a  sort  of  hieroglyphic,  which  says 
much  more  plainly  and  distinctly,  and  in 
much  shorter  time,  than  any  combination  of 
letters  could  do,  that  what  follows  it  is  an 
advertisement  relating  to  a  house,  or  a  vessel, 
or  a  railroad.  In  the  same  manner,  the  an 


B.C.  1500.J     CADMUS'S  LETTERS.  41 

The  meaning  of  them  more  easily  understood. 

cient  representations  on  monuments  and  col 
umns  would  communicate,  perhaps  more  rap- 
ily  and  readily  to  the  passer-by,  an  idea  of 
the  battles,  the  sieges,  the  marches,  and  the 
other  great  exploits  of  the  monarchs  whose 
history  they  were  intended  to  record,  than  an 
inscription  in  words  would  have  done. 

Another  advantage  of  the  symbolical  rep 
resentations  as  used  in  ancient  times,  was 
that  their  meaning  could  be  more  readily 
explained,  and  would  be  more  easily  remem- 
bered, and  so  explained  again,  than  written 
words.  To  learn  to  read  literal  writing  in 
any  language,  is  a  work  of  very  great  labor. 
It  is,  in  fact,  generally  found  that  it  must  be 
commenced  early  in  life,  or  it  can  not  be  ac- 
complished at  all.  An  inscription,  therefore, 
in  words,  on  a  Mexican  monument,  that  a 
certain  king  suppressed  an  insurrection,  and 
beheaded  the  governors  of  four  of  his  prov 
inces,  would  be  wholly  blind  and  unintelli 
gible  to  the  mass  of  the  population  of  such  p 
country;  and  if  the  learned  sculptor  who 
inscribed  it,  were  to  attempt  to  explain  it  to 
them,  letter  by  letter,  they  would  forget  the 
beginning  of  the  lesson  before  read  'ng  the 
end  of  it, — and  could  never  be  expected  tc 


43  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Comparison  of  the  twe  sjatems. 

attempt  extending  the  knowledge  by  making 
known  the  interpretation  which  they  had  ro- 
:eived  to  others  in  their  turn.  But  the  royal 
scepter,  with  the  four  heads  before  it,  each  of 
die  heads  accompanied  by  the  appropriate 
symbol  of  the  city  to  which  the  possessor  of 
it  belonged,  formed  a  symbolical  congeriea 
which  expressed  its  meaning  at  once,  and 
very  plainly,  to  the  eye.  The  most  ignorant 
and  uncultivated  could  readily  understand  it. 
Once  understanding  it,  too,  they  could  never 
easily  forget  it ;  and  they  could,  without  any 
difficulty,  explain  it  fully  to  others  as  ignorant 
and  uncultivated  as  themselves. 

It  might  seem,  at  first  view,  that  a  symbol- 
ical mode  of  writing  must  be  more  simple  in 
its  character  than  the  system  now  in  use,  in- 
asmuch as  by  that  plan  each  idea  or  object 
would  be  expressed  by  one  character  alone, 
whereas,  by  our  mode  of  writing,  several 
characters,  sometimes  as  many  as  eight  or 
ten,  are  required  to  express  a  word,  which 
word,  after  all,  represents  only  one  single 
object  or  idea.  But  notwithstanding  this  ap- 
parent simplicity r  the  system  of  symbol  ica 
writing  proved  to  be,  when  extensively  em- 
ployed, extremely  complicated  and  intricate 


B.U.  1500.]     CADMUS'S  LKITEKS.  43 

Further  comparison  of  the  two  sywemi. 

It  is  true  that  each  idea  required  but  one 
character,  but  the  number  of  ideas  and  ob- 
jects, and  of  words  expressive  of  their  rela- 
tions to  one  another,  is  so  vast,  that  the  sys- 
tem of  representing  them  by  independent 
symbols,  soon  lost  itself  in  an  endless  intricacy 
of  detail.  Then,  besides, — notwithstanding 
what  has  been  said  of  the  facility  with  which 
symbolical  inscriptions  could  be  interpreted, 
— they  were,  after  all,  extremely  difficult  to 
be  understood  without  interpretation.  An 
inscription  once  explained,  the  explanation 
was  easily  understood  and  remembered ;  but 
it  was  very  difficult  to  understand  one  in- 
tended to  express  any  new  communication. 
The  system  was,  therefore,  well  adapted  to 
commemorate  what  was  already  known,  but 
was  of  little  service  as  a  mode  of  communi- 
cating knowledge  anew. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  second  grand 
class  of  written  characters,  namely,  the  pho- 
netic, the  class  which  Cadmus  introduced  into 
Greece,  and  the  one  almost  universally  adopt- 
ed among  all  the  European  nations  at  the 
present  day.  It  is  called  Phonetic,  from  a 
Greek  word  denoting  sound,  because  tht 
characters  which  are  used  do  not  der.ote 


44  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Two  modes  of  representing  the  idea  of  a  battle. 

directly  the  thing  itself  which  is  signified,  but 
the  sounds  made  in  speaking  the  word  which 
signifies  it.  Take,  for  in- 
stance, the  two  modes  of 
representing  a  conflict  be- 
tween two  contending  ar- 
mies, one  by  the  symbolic 
delineation  of  two  swords 
crossed,  and  the  other  by 
the  phonetic  delineation  of 

the  letters  of  the  word  bat- 
,,       ™ 

tie.  They  are  both  inscrip- 
tions. The  beginning  of 
the  first  represents  the  handle  of  the  sword, 
a  part,  as  it  were,  of  the  thing  signified.  The 
beginning  of  the  second,  the  letter  b,  repre- 
sents the  pressing  of  the  lips  together,  by 
which  we  commence  pronouncing  the  word. 
Thus  the  one  mode  is  symbolical,  and  the 
other  phonetic. 

On  considering  the  two  methods,  as  exem- 
plified in  this  simple  instance,  we  shall  ob- 
serve that  what  has  already  been  pointed  out 
as  characteristic  of  the  two  modes  is  here  seen 
to  be  true.  The  idea  is  conveyed  in  the  sym- 
bolical mode  by  one  character,  while  by  the 
phonetic  it  requires  no  less  than  six.  This 


B.C.  1500.]     CADMUS'S  LETTERS.  45 

Great  ad -nutates  of  the  phonetic  mode  of  writing. 

seems  at  first  view  to  indicate  a  great  advan 
tage  possessed  by  the  symbolical  system. 
But  on  reflection  this  advantage  is  found  en- 
tirely to  disappear.  For  the  symbolical  char- 
acter, though  it  is  only  one,  will  answer  for 
only  the  single  idea  which  it  denotes.  Neither 
itself  nor  any  of  its  elements  will  aid  us  in 
forming  a  symbol  for  any  other  idea  ;  and  as 
the  ideas,  objects,  and  relations  which  it  is 
necessary  to  be  able  to  express,  in  order  to 
make  free  and  full  communications  in  any 
language,  are  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  thou- 
sand,— the  step  which  we  have  taken,  though 
very  simple  in  itself,  is  the  beginning  of  a 
course  which  must  lead  to  the  most  endless 
intricacy  and  complication.  Whereas  in  the 
six  phonetic  characters  of  the  word  battle,  we 
have  elements  which  can  be  used  again  and 
again,  in  the  expression  of  thousands  of  other 
ideas.  In  fact,  as  the  phonetic  characters 
which  are  found  necessary  in  most  languages 
are  only  about  twenty-four,  we  have  in  that 
single  word  accomplished  one  quarter  of  the 
whole  task,  so  far  as  the  delineation  of  char- 
acters is  concerned,  that  is  necessary  for  ex- 
Dressing  by  writing  any  possible  combination 
of  ideas  which  human  language  can  convey. 


46  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500, 

Uncertainty  of  tbe  origin  of  phonetic  writing. 

At  what  time  and  in  what  manner  the  tran- 
sition was  made  among  the  ancient  nations 
from  the  symbolic  to  the  phonetic  mode  of 
writing,  is  not  now  known.  When  in  the 
flourishing  periods  of  the  Grecian  and  Roman 
states,  learned  men  explored  the  literary 
records  of  the  various  nations  of  the  East, 
writings  were  found  in  all,  which  were  ex- 
pressed in  phonetic  characters,  and  the  alpha- 
bets of  these  characters  were  found  to  be  so 
analogous  to  each  other,  in  the  names  and 
order,  and  in  some  respects  in  the  forms,  of 
the  letters,  as  to  indicate  strongly  something 
like  community  of  origin.  All  the  attempts, 
however,  which  have  been  made  to  ascertain 
the  origin  of  the  system,  have  wholly  failed, 
and  no  account  of  them  goes  farther  back 
than  to  the  time  when  Cadmus  brought  them 
from  Phenicia  or  Egypt  into  Greece. 

The  letters  which  Cadmus  brought  were  in 
number  sixteen.  The  following  table  presents 
a  view  of  his  alphabet,  presenting  in  the  sev 
eral  columns,  the  letters  themselves  as  subso 
quently  written  in  Greece,  the  Greek  names 
given  to  them,  and  their  power  as  represented 
by  the  letters  now  in  use.  The  forms,  it  wiT 
be  seen,  have  been  but  little  changed. 


L.C.  1500.]     CADMUS'S  LETTERS. 


Ctdmus'g  alphabet. 

Pifficultie?  attending  the  introduction  of  1 

Greek  letters.' 

Greek  names. 

English  representation*. 

A 
B 

Alpha 
Beta 

A 
B 

r 

Gamma 

G 

A 

Delta 

D 

E 

I 

Epsilon 
Iota 

E 
I 

A 

Lamda 

L 

M 

Mu 

M 

N 

Nu 

N 

O 

Oinicron 

O 

n 

Pi 

P 

p 

Rho 

R 

2 

T 

Sigma 
Tau 

S 
T 

r 

Upsilon 

U 

The  phonetic  alphabet  of  Cadmus,  though 
so  vastly  superior  to  any  system  of  symbolical 
hieroglyphics,  for  all  purposes  where  any 
thing  like  verbal  accuracy  was  desired,  was 
still  very  slow  in  coming  into  general  use.  It 
was  of  course,  at  first,  very  difficult  to  write  it, 
Mid  very  difficult  to  read  it  when  written. 
There  was  a  very  great  practical  obstacle,  too, 
in  the  way  of  its  general  introduction,  in  the 
vant  of  any  suitable  materials  for  writing. 
To  cut  letters  with  a  chisel  and  a.  mallet  upon 


48  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Different  modes  of  writing. 

a  surface  of  marble  is  a  very  slow  and  toil 
some  process.  To  diminish  this  labor  the  an- 
cients contrived  tables  of  brass,  copper,  lead 
and  sometimes  of  wood,  and  cut  the  inscrip. 
tions  upon  them  by  the  use  of  various  tools 
and  implements.  Still  it  is  obvious,  that  by 
such  methods  as  these  the  art  of  writing  could 
only  be  used  to  an  extremely  limited  extent, 
such  as  for  brief  inscriptions  in  registers  and 
upon  monuments,  where  a  very  few  words 
would  express  all  that  it  was  necessary  to  re- 
cord. 

In  process  of  time,  however,  the  plan  of 
painting  the  letters  by  means  of  a  black  dye 
upon  a  smooth  surface,  was  introduced.  The 
surface  employed  to  receive  these  inscriptions 
was,  at  first,  the  skin  of  some  animal  prepared 
for  this  purpose,  and  the  dye  used  for  ink, 
was  a  colored  liquid  obtained  from  a  certain 
fish.  This  method  of  writing,  though  in  some 
respects  more  convenient  than  the  others,  was 
still  slow,  and  the  materials  were  expensive ; 
and  it  was  a  long  time  before  the  new  art  was 
employed  for  any  thing  like  continuous  com- 
position. Cadmus  is  supposed  to  have  come 
into  Greece  about  the  year  1550  before  Christ; 
and  it  was  not  until  about  650  before  Christ. 


B.CJ.  1500]     CADMUS  s  LETTERS.  4S 

The  art  of  writing  at  flrtt  very  little  used. 

— that  is,  nearly  nine  hundred  years  later,  that 
be  art  of  writing  was  resorted  to  in  Greece  to 
ccord  laws. 

The  evidences  that  writing  was  very  little 
tued  in  any  way  during  this  long  period  of 
nine  hundred  years,  are  furnished  in  various 
allusions  contained  in  poems  and  narratives 
that  were  composed  during  those  times,  and 
committed  to  writing  afterward.  In  the 
poems  of  Homer,  for  instance,  there  is  no  al- 
lusion, from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  to  any 
monument  or  tomb  containing  any  inscription 
whatever  ;  although  many  occasions  occur  in 
which  such  inscriptions  would  have  been 
made,  if  the  events  described  were  real,  and 
the  art  of  writing  had  been  generally  known, 
or  would  have  been  imagined  to  be  made,  if 
the  narratives  were  invented.  In  one  case  a 
ship-master  takes  a  cargo  on  board,  and  he  is 
represented  as  having  to  remember  all  the 
articles,  instead  of  making  a  record  of  them. 
Another  case  still  more  striking  is  adduced. 
In  the  course  of  the  contest  around  the  walla 
of  Troy,  the  Grecian  leaders  are  described  at 
one  time  as  drawing  lots  to  determine  which 
of  them  should  fight  a  certain  Trojan  cham- 
pion. The  lots  were  prepared,  being  made 
21—4 


CO  EOMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Proofcoftbia  Story  cr  he  lota. 

of  some  substance  that  could  be  marked,  and 
when  ready,  were  distributed  to  the  several 
loaders.  Each  one  of  the  leaders  then  marked 
his  lot  in  some  way,  taking  care  to  remeir^e:. 
what  character  he  had  made  upon  it.  Th? 
lots  were  then  all  put  into  a  helmet,  and  tht 
helmet  was  given  to  a  herald,  who  was  t« 
shake  it  about  in  such  a  manner,  if  possible, 
as  to  throw  out  one  of  the  lots  and  leave  the 
others  in.  The  leader  whose  lot  it  was  that 
should  be  thus  shaken  out,  was  to  be  consid- 
ered as  the  one  designated  by  the  decision,  to 
fight  the  Trojan  champion. 

Now,  in  executing  this  plan,  the  herald, 
when  he  had  shaken  out  a  lot,  and  had  taken 
it  up  from  the  ground,  is  represented,  in  the 
narrative,  as  not  knowing  whose  it  was,  and 
as  carrying  it  around,  accordingly,  to  all  the 
different  leaders,  to  find  the  one  who  coulc 
recognize  it  as  his  own.  .  A  certain  chiei 
named  Ajax  recognized  it,  and  in  this  way  he 
was  designated  for  the  combat.  New  it  is 
supposed,  that  if  these  men  had  been  able  to 
write,  that  they  would  have  inscribed  theii 
own  names  upon  the  lots,  instead  of  marking 
them  with  unmeaning  characters.  And  even 
if  they  wert>  not  practiced  writers  themselves.. 


B.C.  1500]     OADMBB'S  LETTERS.  51 

Other  instances.  The  invent' on  of  papjrrum. 

some  secretary  or  scribe  would  have  beer 
called  upon  to  act  for  them  on  such  an  occa- 
sion as  this,  if  the  art  of  writing  had  been  at 
that  time  so  generally  known  as  to  be  custom- 
arily employed  on  public  occasions.  From 
these  and  similar  indications  which  are  found, 
on  a  careful  examination,  in  the  Homeric 
poems,  learned  men  have  concluded  that  they 
were  composed  and  repeated  orally,  at  a  pe- 
riod of  the  world  when  the  art  of  writing  was 
rery  little  known,  and  that  they  were  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation,  through 
the  memory  of  those  who  repeated  them,  un- 
til at  last  the  art  of  writing  became  estab- 
lished among  mankind,  when  they  were  at 
length  put  permanently  upon  record. 

It  seems  that  writing  was  not  much  em- 
ployed for  any  of  the  ordinary  and  private 
purposes  of  life  by  the  people  of  Greece  until 
the  article  called  parpyruz  was  introduced 
among  them.  This  took  place  about  the  year 
600  before  Christ,  when  laws  began  first  to 
be  written.  Papyrus,  like  the  art  of  writing 
n]K>n  it,  came  originally  from  Egypt.  It  was 
obtained  from  a  tree  which  it  seems  grew  only 
in  that  country.  The  tree  flourished  in  the 
low  lands  along  the  margin  of  the  Nile.  It 


52  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500. 

Mode  of  manufacturing  papyrus.  Volume*. 

grew  to  the  height  of  about  ten  feet.  The 
paper  obtained  from  it  was  formed  from  a 
sort  of  inner  bark,  which  consisted  of  thin 
sheets  or  pellicles  growing  around  the  wood. 
The  paper  was  manufactured  in  the  following 
manner.  A  sheet  of  the  thin  bark  as  taken 
from  the  tree,  was  laid  flat  upon  a  board,  and 
then  a  cross  layer  was  laid  over  it,  the  mate- 
rials having  been  previously  moistened  with 
water  made  slightly  glutinous.  The  sheet 
thus  formed  was  pressed  and  dried  in  the  sun. 
The  placing  of  two  layers  of  the  bark  in  this 
manner  across  each  other  was  intended  to 
strengthen  the  texture  of  the  sheet,  for  the 
fibers,  it  was  found,  were  very  easily  separated 
and  torn  so  long  as  they  lay  wholly  in  one 
direction.  The  sheet  when  dry  was  finished 
by  smoothing  the  surface,  and  prepared  to  re- 
ceive inscriptions  made  by  means  of  a  pen 
fashioned  from  a  reed  or  a  ^uill. 

In  forming  the  papyrus  into  books  it  was 
customary  to  use  a  long  sheet  or  web  of  it,  and 
roll  it  upon  a  stick,  as  is  the  custom  in  respect 
to  maps  at  the  present  day.  The  writing  was 
in  columns,  each  of  which  formed  a  sort  of 
page,  the  reader  holding  the  ends  of  the  roll  in 
his  two  hands,  and  reading  at  the  Dart  which 


B.C.  1500.]     CADMUS'S  LETTERS.  5S 

If  ode  of  using  ancient  books.  Ink. 

was  open  between  them.  Of  conrse,  as  K 
advanced,  he  continually  unrolled  on  one  side, 
and  rolled  up  upon  the  other.  Rolls  of  parch- 
ment were  often  made  in  the  same  manner. 

The  term  volume  used  in  respect  to  modem 
books,  had  its  origin  in  this  ancient  practice 
of  writing  upon  long  rolls.  The  modern  prac- 
tice is  certainly  much  to  be  preferred,  though 
the  ancient  one  was  far  less  inconvenient 
than  might  at  first  be  supposed.  Tho  long 
sheet  was  rolled  upon  a  wooden  billet,  which 
gave  to  the  volume  a  certain  firmness  and 
solidity,  and  afforded  it  great  protection. 
The  ends  of  this  roller  projected  beyond,  the 
edges  of  the  sheet,  and  were  terminated  in 
knobs  or  bosses,  which  guarded  in  some  meas- 
ure the  edges  of  the  papyrus  or  of  the  parch- 
ment. The  whole  volume  was  also  inclosed 
in  a  parchment  case,  on  the  outside  of  which 
the  title  of  the  work  was  conspicuously  re- 
corded. Many  of  these  ancient  rolls  have 
been  found  at  Herculaneum. 

For  ink,  various  colored  liquids  were  used, 
generally  black,  but  sometimes  red  and  some- 
times green.  The  black  ink  was  sometimes 
manufactured  from  a  species  of  lampblack  or 
ivory  black,  such  as  is  often  used  in  modern 


5*  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Ink  found  at  Herculaneum. 

times  for  painting.  Some  specimens  of  the 
inkstands  which  were  used  in  ancient  times 
have  been  found  at  Herculaneum,  and  one  of 
them  contained  ink,  which  though  too  thick 
to  flow  readily  from  the  pen,  it  was  still  pos- 
sible to  write  with.  It  was  of  about  the  con- 
sistence of  oil. 

These  rolls  of  papyrus  and  parchment,  how- 
ever, were  only  used  for  important  writings 
which  it  was  intended  permanently  to  pre- 
serve. For  ordinary  occasions  tablets  of  wax 
and  other  similar  materials  were  used,  upon 
which  the  writer  traced  the  characters  with 
the  point  of  a  steel  instrument  called  a  style. 
The  head  of  the  style  was  smooth  and  rounded, 
so  that  any  words  which  the  writer  wished  to 
erase  might  be  obliterated  by  smoothing  over 
again,  with  it,  the  wax  on  which  they  had 
been  written. 

Sucn  is  a  brief  history  of  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress of  the  art  of  writing  in  tne  States  of 
Greece.  "Whether  the  phonetic  principle 
which  Cadmus  introduced  was  brought  origi 
nally  from  Egypt,  or  from  the  countries  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  Mediterranean  sea, 
can  not  now  be  ascertained.  It  has  generally 
been  supposed  among  mankind,  at  least  imti] 


B.O.  15oO.]     CADMUS'S  LETTEKS.  55 

Recent  discorerles  in  respect  to  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphic*. 

within  a  recent  period,  that  the  art  of  phonetic 
writing  did  not  originate  in  Egypt,  for  the 
inscriptions  on  all  the  ancient  monuments  in 
that  country  are  of  such  a  character  that  it 
haa  always  been  supposed  that  they  were 
aymbolical  characters  altogether,  and  that  no 
traces  of  any  phonetic  writing  existed  in  that 
^and.  "Within  the  present  century,  however, 
the  discovery  has  been  made  that  a  large 
portion  of  these  hieroglyphics  are  phonetic  in 
their  character ;  and  that  the  learned  world  in 
attempting  for  so  many  centuries,  in  vain,  to 
affix  symbolical  meanings  to  them,  had  been 
altogether  upon  the  wrong  track.  The  delin- 
eations, though  they  consist  almost  wholly  of 
the  forms  of  plants  and  animals,  and  of  other 
natural  and  artificial  objects,  are  not  symbol- 
'cal  representations  of  ideas,  but  letters,  rep- 
esenting  sounds  and  words.  They  are  thus 
precisely  similar,  in  principle,  to  the  letters 
ot  Cadmus,  though  wholly  different  from  them 
in  form. 

To  enable  the  reader  to  obtain  a  clearer 
idea  of  the  nature  of  this  discovery,  we  give 
on  the  adjoining  page  some  specimens  of 
Egyptian  inscriptions  found  in  various  parts 
oi  the  country,  and  which  are  interpreted  tc 


56 


ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500. 


Specimen  of  Egyptian  hieroglyphics. 


rSd> 
\i<^£> 


KEY 


Q 


O 


•?£* 

m 


B.C.  1500.]     CADMUS'S  LETTERS.  57 


Explanation  of  the  figures. 


express  the  name  Cleopatra,  a  very  common 
name  for  princesses  of  the  royal  line  in  Egypt 
during  the  dynasty  of  the  Ptolemy's.  We 
mark  the  various  figures  forming  the  inscrip- 
tion, with  the  letters  which  modern  interpre- 
ters have  assigned  to  them.  It  will  be  seen 
that  they  all  spell,  rudely  indeed,  but  yet  tol- 
erably distinctly,  the  name  C  LEOPATRA. 

By  a  careful  examination  of  these  speci 
inens,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  order  of  placing 
the  letters,  if  such  hieroglyphical  characters 
can  be  so  called,  is  not  regular,  and  the  let 
ter  a,  which  is  denoted  by  a  bird  in  some 
of  the  specimens,  is  represented  differently  in 
others.  There  are  also  two  characters  at  the 
close  of  each  inscription  which  are  not  repre- 
sented by  any  letter,  the  one  being  of  the 
form  of  an  egg,  and  the  other  a  semicircle. 
These  last  are  supposed  to  denote  the  sex  of 
the  sovereign  whose  name  they  are  connected 
with,  as  they  are  found  in  many  cases  in  in 
Bcriptions  commemorative  of  princesses  and 
queens.  They  are  accordingly  specimens  of 
symbolic  characters,  while  all  the  others  in  the 
name  are  phonetic. 

It  seems  therefore  not  improbable  that  the 
principle  of  forming  a  written  language  by 


58  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1500 

Motes  fea  Bgypt.  Importance  of  the  art  of  writing. 

means  of  characters  representing  the  sounds 
of  which  the  words  of  the  spoken  language 
ai  e  composed,  was  of  Egyptian  origin ;  and 
that  it  was  carried  in  very  early  times  to  the 
countries  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean sea,  and  there  improved  upon  by  the 
adoption  of  a  class  of  characters  more  simple 
than  the  hieroglyphics  of  Egypt,  and  of  a 
form  more  convenient  for  a  regular  linear  ar- 
rangement in  writing.  Moses,  who  spent  his 
early  life  in  Egypt,  and  who  was  said  to  be 
learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians 
may  have  acquired  the  art  of  writing  there. 

However  this  may  be,  and  whatever  may 
be  the  uncertainty  which  hangs  over  the  early 
history  of  this  art,  one  thing  is  certain,  and 
that  is,  that  the  discovery  of  the  art  of  writ- 
ing, including  that  of  printing,  which  is  only 
the  consummation  and  perfection  of  it, — the 
art  by  which  man  can  record  language,  and 
give  life  and  power  to  the  record  to  speak  to 
the  eye  permanently  and  forever — to  go  to 
ivery  nation — to  address  itself  simultaneous]}! 
to  millions  of  minds,  and  to  endure  through 
all  time,  is  by  far  the  greatest  discovery,  ID 
respect  to  the  enlargement  which  it  makes  of 
human  powers,  that  has  ever  been  made. 


B.C.  1200.J     STOBY  OF  AENEAS.  59 

Story  of  JEnea»  remained  Ion:;  unwritten. 


CHAPTER  IL 
THE  STORY  OF 


BESIDES  the  intrinsic  interest  and  impor- 
tance of  the  facts  stated  in  the  last  chap- 
ter, to  the  student  of  history,  there  was  a 
special  reason  for  calling  the  attention  of  the 
reader  to  them  here,  that  he  might  know  in 
what  light  the  story  of  the  destruction  of  Troy, 
and  of  the  wanderings  of  JEneas,  the  great 
ancestor  of  Romulus,  which  we  now  proceed 
to  relate,  is  properly  to  be  regarded.  The 
events  connected  with  the  destruction  of  Troy, 
took  place,  if  they  ever  occurred  at  all,  about 
the  year  twelve  hu^d/red  before  Christ.  Ho- 
mer is  supposed  to  have  lived  and  composed 
his  poems  about  the  year  nine  hundred  ;  and 
the  art  of  writing  is  thought  to  have  been  first 
employed  for  the  purpose  of  recording  contin- 
nous  compositions,  about  the  year  six  hundred, 
The  story  of  ^Eneas  then,  so  far  as  it  has  any 
claims  to  historical  truth,  is  a  tale  which  was 
handed  down  by  oral  tradition,  among  story- 
tellers for  three  hundred  vears,  and  then  was 


60  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1 

Mother  of  &w*u.  Her  origin. 

clothed  in  verse,  and  handed  down  in  that 
form  orally  by  the  memory  of  the  reciters  of 
it,  in  generations  successive  for  three  hundred 
Tears  more,  before  it  was  recorded ;  and  dur- 
ng  the  whole  period  of  this  transmission,  the 
interest  felt  in  it  was  not  the  desire  for  ascer- 
taining and  communicating  historic  truth,  but 
simply  for  entertaining  companies  of  listeners 
with  the  details  of  a  romantic  story.  The 
story,  therefore,  can  not  be  relied  upon  as  his- 
torically true ;  but  it  is  no  less  important  on 
that  account,  that  all  well-informed  persons 
should  know  what  it  is. 

The  mother  of  ^Eneas  (as  the  story  goes), 
was  a  celebrated  goddess.  Her  name  was 
Aphrodite  ;*  though  among  the  Romans  she 
afterward  received  the  name  of  Yenus.  Aph- 
rodite was  not  born  of  a  mother,  like  ordinary 
mortals,  but  sprang  mysteriously  and  super- 
naturally  from  a  foam  which  gathered  on  a 
certain  occasion  upon  the  surface  of  the  sea 
At  the  commencement  of  her  existence  she 
crept  out  upon  the  shores  of  an  island  that 
was  near, — the  island  of  Cy  thera, — which  lies 
south  of  the  Peloponnesus. 

*  Pronounced  in  four  syllables, 


B.C.  1200.]  STORY  OF 


Early  history  of  Venus. 


Her  magical  powers. 


ORIGIN  OF  VENUS. 


She  was  the  goddess  of  love,  of  beauty,  and 
of  fruitfulness ;  and  so  extraordinary  were  the 
magical  powers  which  were  inherent  from 
the  beginning,  in  her  very  nature,  that  as  she 
walked  along  upon  the  sands  of  the  shore, 
when  she  first  emerged  from  the  sea,  plants 
and  flowers  of  the  richest  verdure  and  beauty 
sprang  up  at  her  feet  wherever  she  stepped. 
She  was,  besides,  in  her  own  person,  inexpres- 
sibly beautiful ;  and  in  addition  to  the  natural 
influence  of  her  charms,  she  was  endued  with 
the  supernatural  power  of  inspiring  the  senti- 
ment of  love  in  all  who  beheld  her. 

From  Cythera  the  goddess  made  her  way 
over  by  sea  to  Cyprus,  where  she  remained  for 
some  time,  amid  the  gorgeous  and  magnificent 
scenery  of  that  enchanting  island.  Here  she 


62  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200. 

Ear  children  Eras  uid  Anteros.  She  goes  to  Olympus 

had  two  cliildren,  beautiful  boys.  Their  names 
were  Eros  and  Anteros.  Each  of  these  chil- 
dren remained  perpetually  a  child,  and  Eros, 
in  later  times  called  Cupid,  became  the  god 
of  "love  bestowed,"  while  Anteros  was  the 
God  of  "love  returned."  After  this  the 
mother  and  the  boys  roamed  about  the  world, 
— now  in  the  heavenly  regions  above,  and 
now  among  mortals  on  the  plains  and  in  the 
valleys  below  :  they  sometimes  appeared 
openly,  in  their  true  forms,  sometimes  they 
assumed  disguises,  and  sometimes  they  were 
wholly  invisible ;  but  whether  seen  or  unseen, 
they  were  always  busy  in  performing  their 
functions — the  mother  inspiring  everywhere, 
in  the  minds  both  of  gods  and  men,  the  ten- 
derest  sentiments  of  beauty  and  desire, — 
while  Eros,  awakened  love  in  the  heart  of  one 
person  for  another,  and  Anteros  made  it  his 
duty  to  tease  and  punish  those  who  thus  be- 
came objects  of  affection,  if  they  did  not  re- 
turn the  love. 

After  some  time,  Aphrodite  and  her  boys 
found  their  way  to  the  heavenly  regions  of 
Mount  Olympus,  where  the  great  divinities 
resided,*  and  there  they  soon  pwduced  great 

*  See  Map,  page  61. 


I3.C.  1200.]     STOKT  OF  ^EXRAS.  63 

Aphrodite's  lore  for  Ancfaises.  The  golden  apple. 

trouble,  by  enkindling  the  flames  of  love  in 
the  hearts  of  the  divinities  themselves,  caus- 
ing them,  by  her  magic  power,  to  fall  in  love  not 
only  with  one  another,  but  also  with  mortal 
men  and  women  on  the  earth  below.  In  re- 
taliation upon  Aphrodite  for  this  mischief, 
Jupiter,  by  his  supreme  power,  inspired  Aph- 
rodite herself  with  a  sentiment  of  love.  The 
object  of  her  afiection  was  Anchises,  a  hand- 
some youth,  of  the  royal  family  of  Troy,  who 
lived  among  the  mountains  of  Ida,  not  far 
from  the  city. 

The  way  in  which  it  happened  that  the  af- 
fection of  Aphrodite  turned  toward  an  inhab- 
itant of  Mount  Ida  was  this.  There  had  been 
at  one  time  a  marriage  among  the  divinities, 
and  a  certain  goddess  who  had  not  been  in 
vited  to  the  wedding,  conceived  the  design 
of  avenging  herself  for  the  neglect,  by  pro- 
voking a  quarrel  among  those  who  were  there. 
She,  accordingly,  caused  a  beautiful  golden 
tpple  to  be  made,  with  an  inscription  marked 

Upon    it,    "FOR    THE    MOST    BEAUTIFUL."        Thig 

appte  she  threw  in  among  the  guests  assem- 
bled at  the  wedding.  The  goddesses  fell 
claimed  the  prize,  and  a  very  earnest  dispute 
arose  among  them  in  '•espect  to  it.  Jupiter 


64  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

The  award  of  Paris.  Venus's  residence  at  Mt  Ida. 

eent  the  several  claimants,  under  the  charge 
of  a  special  messenger,  to  Mount  Ida,  to  a 
handsome  and  accomplished  young  shepherd 
there,  named  Paris — who  was,  in  fact,  a  prince 
in  disguise — that  they  might  exhibit  them- 
selves to  him,  and  submit  the  question  of  the 
right  to  the  apple  to  his  award.  The  contend- 
ing goddesses  appeared  accordingly  before 
Paris,  and  each  attempted  to  bribe  him  to  de- 
cide in  her  favor,  by  offering  him  some  pe- 
culiar and  tempting  reward.  Paris  gave  the 
apple  to  Aphrodite,  and  she  was  so  pleased 
with  the  result,  that  she  took  Paris  under  hei 
special  protection,  and  made  the  solitudes  of 
Mount  Ida  one  of  her  favorite  retreats. 

Here  she  saw  and  became  acquainted  with 
Anchises,  who  was,  as  has  already  been  said, 
a  noble,  or  prince,  by  descent,  though  he  had 
for  some  time  been  dwelling  away  from  the 
city,  and  among  the  mountains,  rearing  flocks 
and  herds.  Here  Aphrodite  saw  aim,  and 
when  Jupiter  inspired  her  with  a  sudden  sns- 
ceptibility  to  the  power  of  love,  the  shepherd 
Anchises  was  the  object  toward  which  hoi 
affections  turned.  She  accordingly  went  to 
Mount  Ida,  and  giving  herself  up  to  him,  she 
lived  with  him  for  some  time  among  the 


B.C.  1200.]     STOEY  OF  Jfe^EAs.  65 

Aphrodite's  assumed  character.  She  leaves  Anchisot. 

oiountains  as  his  bride.      ./Eneas  was  their 
•on. 

Aphrodite  did  not,  however,  appear  to  An 
chises  in  her  true  character,  but  assumed, 
instead,  the  form  and  the  disguise  of  a  Phry- 
gian princess.  Phrygia  was  a  kingdom  of 
Asia  Minor,  not  very  far  from  Troy.  She  con- 
tinued this  disguise  as  long  as  she  remained 
with  Anchises  at  Mount  Ida ;  at  length,  how 
ever,  she  concluded  to  leave  him,  and  to 
return  to  Olympus,  and  at  her  parting  she 
made  herself  known.  She,  however,  charged 
Anchises  never  to  reveal  to  any  person  who 
she  was,  declaring  that  ./Eneas,  whom  she 
was  going  to  leave  with  his  father  when  she 
went  away,  would  be  destroyed  by  a  stroke 
of  lightning  from  heaven,  if  the  real  truth  in 
respect  to  his  mother  were  ever  revealed. 

"When  Aphrodite  had  gone,  Anchises,  hav- 
ing now  no  longer  any  one  at  home  to  attend 
to  the  rearing  of  the  child,  send  him  to  Dar- 
danus,  a  city  to  the  northward  of  Troy,  where 
he  was  brought  up  in  the  house  of  his  sister 
the  daughter  of  Anchises,  who  was  married 
ind  settled  there.  His  having  a  sister  old 
•nough  to  be  married,  would  seem  to  show 
that  youth  was  not  one  of  the  attractions  of 
21—5 


66  K OMUL  us.  [B.C.  1200. 

Childhood  cf  <f.nens.  The  Trojan  war.  Achilla*. 

Arichises  in  Aphrodite's  eyes.  -^Eneas  re- 
mained with  his  sister  until  he  was  old  enough 
to  be  of  service  in  the  care  of  flocks  and  herds, 
and  then  returned  again  to  his  former  resi 
d  ence  among  the  pasturages  of  the  mountains, 
His  mother,  though  she  had  left  him,  did  not 
forget  her  child ;  "but  watched  over  him  con 
tinually,  and  interposed  directly  to  aid  or  to 
protect  him,  whenever  her  aid  was  required 
by  the  occurrence  of  any  emergency  of  difli- 
culty  or  danger. 

At  length  the  Trojan  war  broke  out.  For 
a  time,  however,  ^Eneas  took  no  part  in  it. 
He  was  jealous  of  the  attentions  which  Priam, 
the  king  of  Troy,  paid  to  other  young  men, 
and  fancied  that  he  himself  was  overlooked 
and  that  the  services  that  he  might  rendet 
were  undervalued.  He  remained,  therefore, 
at  his  home  among  the  mountains,  occupying 
himself  with  his  flocks  and  herds  ;  and  he 
might,  perhaps,  have  continued  in  these  peace- 
ful avocations  to  the  end  of  the  war,  had  it 
not  been  that  Achilles,  one  of  the  most  formi- 
dable of  the  Grecian  leaders,  in  one  of  his 
forays  in  the  country  around  Troy,  in  search 
of  provisions,  came  upon  ./Eneas's  territory, 
and  attacked  him  while  tending  his  flocks 


B.C.  1200.]     STORY  OF  ^NEAS.  69 

£neaa  engages  in  the  war.  Story  of  Pandai  UB. 

upon  the  mountain  side.  Achilles  seized  the 
flocks  and  herds,  and  drove  ^Eneas  and  his 
fellow-herdsmen  away.  They  would,  in  fact, 
all  have  Deen  killed,  had  not  Aphrodite  in- 
terposed to  protect  her  son  and  save  his  life. 

The  loss  of  his  flocks  and  herds,  and  the 
injury  which  he  himself  had  received,  aroused 
^Eneas's  indignation  and  anger  against  the 
Greeks.  He  immediately  raised  an  armed 
force  of  Dardanians,  and  thenceforth  took  an 
active  part  in  the  war.  He  became  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  among  the  combatants, 
for  his  prowess  and  his  bravery ;  and  being 
always  assisted  by  his  mother  in  his  conflicts, 
and  rescued  by  her  when  in  danger,  he  per- 
formed prodigies  of  strength  and  valor. 

At  one  time  he  pressed  forward  into  the 
thickest  of  the  battle  to  rescue  a  Trojan  leader 
named  Pandarus,  who  was  beset  by  his  foes 
and  brought  into  very  imminent  danger. 
^Eneas  did  not  succeed  in  saving  his  friend, 
i'andarus  was  killed.  JEneas,  however,  flew 
to  the  spot,  and  by  means  of  the  most  .sxtra 
ordinary  feats  of  strength  and  valor  he  drove 
the  Greeks  away  from  the  body.  They  at- 
tacked it  on  every  side,  but  ./Eneas,  wheeling 
around  it,  and  fighting  now  on  thia  side 


70  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

./Knew  rescued  by  big  mother.  Her  magic  veil 

now  on  that,  drove  them  all  away.  They  re- 
tired to  a  little  distance  and  then  began  to 
throw  in  a  shower  of  spears  and  darts  and  ar- 
rows upon  him.  ./Eneas  defended  himself 
and  the  body  of  his  friend  from  these  missiles 
for  a  time,  with  his  shield.  At  length,  how- 
ever, he  was  struck  in  the  thigh  with  a  pon- 
derous stone  which  one  of  the  Greek  warriors 
hurled  at  him, — a  stone  so  heavy  that  two 
men  of  ordinary  strength  would  have  been 
required  to  lift  it.  ./Eneas  was  felled  to  the 
ground  by  the  blow.  He  sank  down,  resting 
upon  his  arm,  faint  and  dizzy,  and  being  thus 
made  helpless  would  have  immediately  been 
overpowered  and  killed  by  his  assailants  had 
not  his  mother  interposed.  She  came  imme- 
diately to  rescue  him.  She  spread  her  vail 
over  him,  which  had  the  magic  power  of  ren- 
dering harmless  all  blows  which  were  aimed 
at  what  was  covered  by  it,  and  then  taking 
bin-  up  in  her  arms  she  bore  him  off  through 
the  midst  of  his  enemies  unharmed.  The 
swords,  spears,  and  javelins  which  were  aimed 
at  him  were  rendered  powerless  by  the  magic 
ail. 

Aphrodite,  however,  flying  thus  with  her 
wounded  son,  mother-like,  left  herself  exposed 


B.C.  1200.]     STOKY  OF  ^ENEAS.  73 

Venus  it  wounded.  Iris  conveys  her  away. 

in  her  anxiety  to  protect  him.  Diomedes,  the 
chief  of  the  pursuers,  following  headlong  on, 
aimed  a  lance  at  Yenus  herself.  The  lance 
Etruck  Yenus  in  the  hand,  and  inflicted  a  very 
Bevere  and  painful  wound.  It  did  not,  how- 
ever, stop  her  flight.  She  pressed  swiftly  on, 
while  Diomedes,  satisfied  with  his  revenge, 
gave  up  the  pursuit,  but  called  out  to  Aphro- 
dite as  she  disappeared  from  view,  bidding 
her  learn  from  the  lesson  which  he  had  given 
her  that  it  would  be  best  for  her  thenceforth 
to  remain  in  her  own  appropriate  sphere,  and 
not  come  down  to  the  earth  and  interfere  in 
the  contests  of  mortal  men. 

Aphrodite,  after  conveying  ^Eneasto  a  place 
of  safety,  fled,  herself,  faint  and  bleeding,  to 
the  mountains,  where,  after  ascending  to  the 
region  of  mists  and  clouds,  Iris,  the  beautiful 
goddess  of  the  rainbow,  came  to  her  aid.  Iris 
found  her  faint  and  pale  from  the  loss  of  blood ; 
she  did  all  in  her  power  to  soothe  and  comfort 
the  wounded  goddess,  and  then  led  her  far- 
ther still  among  the  mountains  to  a  place 
where  they  found  Mars,  the  god  of  war,  stand- 
ing with  his  chariot.  Mars  was  Aphrodite's 
brother.  lie  took  compassion  upon  his  sister 
in  her  distress,  and  lent  Iris  his  chariot  and 


72  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200. 

Single  combat  between  ^Eneas  and  Achilles. 

norses,  to  comey  Aphrodite  home.  Aphro- 
dite ascended  into  the  chariot,  and  Iris  took 
the  reins  ;  and  thus  they  rode  through  the  ai 
to  the  mountains  of  Olympus.  Here  the  go<Vk 
and  goddesses  of  heaven  gathered  arorjid 
their  unhappy  sister,  bound  up  her  wound, 
and  expressed  great  sympathy  for  her  in  her 
sufferings,  uttering  at  the  same  time  many 
piteous  complaints  against  the  merciless  vio- 
lence and  inhumanity  of  men.  Such  is  the 
ancient  tale  of  ^Eneas  and  his  mother. 

At  a  later  period  in  the  history  of  the  war, 
^Eneas  had  a  grand  combat  with  Achilles, 
who  was  the  most  terrible  of  all  the  Grecian 
warriors,  and  was  regarded  as  the  grand 
champion  of  their  cause.  The  two  armies 
were  drawn  up  in  battle  array.  A  vast  open 
space  was  left  between  them  on  the  open 
tlain.  Into  this  space  the  two  combatants 
advanced,  JEneas  on  the  one  side  and  Achilles 
on  the  other,  in  full  view  of  all  the  troops, 
and  of  the  throngs  of  spectators  assembled  to 
witness  the  proceedings. 

A  rery  strong  and  an  universal  interest  was 
felt  in  the  approaching  combat.  ^Eneas,  be- 
sides the  prodigious  strength  and  bravery  for 
which  he  was  renowned,  was  to  be  divinely 


B.C.  120C.J     STOKT  OF  ^ENEAS.  73 

The  charmed  life  of  Achilles.  Ilii  shield. 

aided,  it  was  known,  by  the  protection  of  his 
nother,  who  was  always  at  hand  to  guide  and 
upport  him  in  the  conflict,  and  to  succor  him 
n  danger.  Achilles,  on  the  other  hand,  pos- 
sessed a  charmed  life.  He  had  been  dipped 
by  his  mother  Thetis,  when  an  infant,  in  the 
river  Styx,  to  render  him  invulnerable  and 
immortal ;  and  the  immersion  produced  the 
effect  intended  in  respect  to  all  those  parts  of 
the  body  which  the  water  laved.  As,  how 
ever,  Thetis  held  the  child  by  the  ankles  when 
she  plunged  him  in,  the  ankles  remained  un 
affected  by  the  magic  influence  of  the  water. 
All  the  other  parts  of  the  body  were  rendered 
incapable  of  receiving  a  wound. 

Achilles  had  a  very  beautiful  and  costly 
shield  which  his  mother  had  caused  to  be 
made  for  him.  It  was  formed  of  five  plates 
of  metal.  The  outermost  plates  on  each  side 
were  of  brass ;  in  the  centre  was  a  plate  of 
gold ;  and  between  the  central  plate  of  gold 
and  the  outer  ones  of  brass  were  two  other 
plates,  one  on  each  side,  made  of  some  third 
metal  The  workmanship  of  this  shield  was 
of  the  most  elaborate  and  beautiful  character 
The  mother  of  Achilles  had  given  this  weapon 
to  her  son  when  he  left  home  to  oiD  the 


74  KOHULTJS.  [K.C.  1200 

The  meeting  of  -•Eneas  and  Achilles  on  the  field. 

Greeks  iu  the  Trojan  war,  not  trusting  entirely 
it.  seems  to  his  magical  invulnerability. 

The  armies  looked  on  with  great  interest  as 
these  two  champions  advanced  to  meet  each 
other,  while  all  the  gods  and  goddesses  sur- 
veyed the  scene  with  almost  equal  interest, 
from  their  abodes  above.  Some  joined  Venue 
in  the  sympathy  which  she  felt  for  her  son, 
while  others  espoused  the  cause  of  Achi  lies. 
When  the  two  combatants  had  approached 
each  other,  they  paused  before  commencing 
the  conflict,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  and  sur 
veyed  eacli  other  with  looks  of  anger  and  de 
fiance.  At  length  Achilles  spoke.  He  began 
to  upbraid  ./Eneas  for  his  infatuation  and  folly 
in  engaging  in  the  war,  and  especially  for 
coming  forward  to  put  his  life  at  hazard  by 
encountering  such  a  champion  as  was  now 
before  him.  "  "What  can  you  gain,"  said  he, 
"  even  if  you  conquer  in  this  warfare  ?  You 
can  never  be  king,  even  if  you  succeed  in 
saving  the  city.  I  know  you  claim  to  be 
descended  from  the  royal  line ;  but  Priam  has 
sons  who  are  the  direct  a*nd  immediate  heirs, 
and  your  claims  can  never  be  allowed.  Then, 
besides,  what  folly  to  attempt  to  contend  with 
mo!  Me,  the  strongest,  bravest,  and  mosi 


B.C.  1200.J     STORY  OF 


The  harangues  of  the  combatants. 


terrible  of  the  Greeks,  and  the  special  favorite 
i>f  many  deities."  With  this  introduction 
Achilles  went  on  to  set  forth  the  greatness  of 
his  pedigree,  and  the  loftiness  of  his  preten- 
sions to  superiority  over  all  others  in  personal 
prowess  and  valor,  in  a  manner  very  eloquent 
indeed,  and  in  a  style  which  it  seems  was  very 
much  admired  in  those  days  as  evincing  only 
a  proper  spirit  and  energy, — though  in  our 
times  such  a  harangue  would  be  very  apt  to 
be  regarded  as  only  a  vainglorious  and 
empty  boasting. 

^Eneas  replied, — retorting  with  vauntinga 
on  his  side  no  less  spirited  and  energetic  than 
those  which  Achilles  had  expressed.  He 
gave  a  long  account  of  his  pedigree,  and  of 
his  various  claims  to  lofty  consideration.  He, 
however,  said,  in  conclusion,  that  it  was  idle 
and  useless  for  them  to  waste  their  time  in 
such  a  war  of  words,  and  so  he  hurled  his 
spear  at  Achilles  with  all  his  force,  as  a  token 
of  the  commencement  of  the  battle. 

The  spear  struck  the  shield  of  Achilles,  and 
impinged  upon  it  with  such  force  that  it  pen 
«trated  through  two  of  the  plates  of  metal 
which  composed  the  shield,  and  reached  the 
central  plate  of  geld,  where  the  force  witb 


76  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

The  battle  begun.  Narrow  escape. 

which  it  had  been  thrown  being  spent,  it  was 
arrested  and  fell  to  the  ground.  Achilles 
then  exerting  his  utmost  strength  threw  hig 
spear  in  return.  ^Eneas  crouched  down  to 
avoid  the  shock  of  the  weapon,  holding  his 
shield  at  the  same  time  above  his  head,  and 
bracing  himself  with  all  his  force  against  the 
approaching  concussion.  The  spear  struck 
the  shield  near  the  upper  edge  of  it,  as  it  was 
held  in  ^Eneas's  hands.  It  passed  directly 
through  the  plates  of  which  the  shield  was 
composed,  and  then  continuing  its  course,  it 
glided  down  just  over  ^Eneas's  back,  and 
planted  itself  deep  in  the  ground  behind  him, 
and  stood  there  quivering,  ^neas  crept  out 
from  beneath  it  with  a  look  of  horror. 

Immediately  after  throwing  his  spear,  and 
perceiving  that  it  had  failed  of  its  intended 
effect,  Achilles  drew  his  sword  and  rushed 
forward  to  engage  ^Eneas,  hand  to  hand. 
./Eneas  himself  recovering  in  an  instant  from 
the  consternation  which  his  narrow  escape 
from  impalement  had  awakened,  seized  an 
enormous  stone,  heavier,  as  Homer  represents 
it,  than  any  two  ordinary  men  could  lift,  and 
was  about  to  hurl  it  at  his  advancing  foe, 
when  sudden.y  the  whole  combat  was  termi- 


B.C.  1200.]     STOBT  OF  ^ENEAS.  77 


Sudden  termination  of  the  combat. 


nated  by  a  very  unexpected  interposition.  It 
seems  that  the  various  gods  and  goddesses, 
from  their  celestial  abodes  among  the  sum- 
mits of  Olympus,  had  assembled  in  invisible 
forms  to  witness  this  combat — some  sympa- 
thizing with  and  upholding  one  of  the  comba- 
tants, and  some  the  other.  Neptune  was  on 
^Eneas's  side ;  and  accordingly  when  he  saw 
now  imminent  the  danger  was  which  threat- 
ened ^Eneas,  when  Achilles  came  rushing 
upon  him  with  his  uplifted  sword,  he  at  once 
resolved  to  interfere.  He  immediately  rushed, 
himself,  between  the  combatants.  He  brought 
a  sudden  and  supernatural  mist  over  the 
scene,  such  as  the  God  of  the  Sea  has  always 
at  his  command  ;  and  this  mist  at  once  con- 
cealed JSneas  from  Achilles's  view.  Nep- 
tune drew  the  spear  out  of  the  ground,  and 
released  it  too  from  the  shield  which  remained 
still  pinned  down  by  it ;  and  then  threw  the 
spear  down  at  Achilles's  feet.  He  next  seized 
^Eneas,  and  lifting  him  high  above  the  ground 
he  bore  him  away  in  an  invisible  form  over 
the  heads  of  soldiers  and  horsemen  that  had 
been  drawn  up  in  long  lines  around  the  field 
of  combat.  When  the  mist  passed  away 
Achilles  saw  his  spear  lying  at  his  feet,  and 


73  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 


The  tales  of  the  JEuelL 


on  looking  around  him  found  that  his  enemy 
was  gone. 

Such  are  the  marvelous  tales  which  were 
told  by  the  ancient  narrators,  of  the  prowess 
and  exploits  of  ^Eneas  under  the  walls  of 
JYoy,  and  of  the  interpositions  which  were 
put  forth  to  save  him  in  moments  of  desperate 
danger,  by  beings  supernatural  and  divine. 
These  tales  were  in  those  days  believed  as 
sober  history.  That  which  was  marvelous 
and  philosophically  incredible  in  them,  was 
sacredly  sheltered  from  question  by  mingling 
itself  with  the  prevailing  principles  of  reli- 
gious faith.  The  tales  were  thus  believed, 
and  handed  down  traditionally  from  genera- 
tion to  generation,  and  admired  and  loved  by 
all  who  heard  and  repeated  them,  partly  on 
account  of  their  romantic  and  poetical  beauty, 
and  partly  on  account  of  the  sublime  and  sa- 
cred revelations  which  they  contained,  in 
respect  to  the  divinities  of  the  spiritual  worJ4 


B.C.  1200.]     DESTRUCTION  OF  TROT.      79 


Termination  of  the  siege  of  Troy. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  DESTRUCTION  OP  TROT. 

AFTER  the  final  conquest  and  destruction 
of  Troy,  ^Eneas,  in  the  course  of  his 
wanderings,  stopped,  it  was  said,  at  Car- 
thage, on  his  way  to  Italy,  and  there,  accord- 
ing to  ancient  story,  he  gave  the  following 
account  of  the  circumstances  attending  the 
capture  and  the  sacking  of  the  city,  and  his 
own  escape  from  the  scene. 

One  day,  after  the  war  had  been  continued 
with  various  success  for  a  long  period  of  time, 
the  sentinels  on  the  walls  and  towers  of  the 
city  began  to  observe  extraordinary  move 
rnents  in  the  camp  of  the  besiegers,  which 
Deemed  to  indicate  preparations  for  breaking 
ur»  the  camp  and  going  away.  Tents  were 
atrack.  Men  were  busy  passing  to  and  fro, 
arranging  arms  and  military  stores,  as  if  for 
transportation.  A  fleet  of  ships  was  drawn 
up  along  the  shore,  which  was  not  far  distant, 
and  a  great  scene  of  activity  manifested  itself 
upon  the  bank,  indicating  an  approach ingr 


80  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

Appearances  observed  by  the  besieged. 

embarkation.  In  a  word,  the  tidings  soon 
upread  throughout  the  city,  that  the  Greeks 
lad  at  length  become  weary  of  the  protracted 
3ontest,  and  were  making  preparations  to 
withdraw  from  the  field.  These  proceedings 
were  watched,  of  course,  with  great  interest 
from  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  at  length  the 
inhabitants,  to  their  inexpressible  joy,  found 
their  anticipations  and  hopes,  as  they  thought, 
fully  realized.  The  camp  of  the  Greeks  waa 
gradually  broken  up,  and  at  last  entirely 
abandoned.  The  various  bodies  of  troops 
were  drawn  off  one  by  one  to  the  shore,  where 
they  were  embarked  on  board  the  ships,  and 
then  sailed  away.  As  soon  as  this  result  was 
made  sure,  the  Trojans  threw  open  the  gates 
of  the  city,  and  came  out  in  throngs, — soldiers 
and  citizens,  men,  women  and  children  togeth- 
er,— to  explore  the  abandoned  encampment? 
and  to  rejoice  over  the  departure  of  their  ter- 
rible enemies. 

The  first  thing  which  attracted  their  atten- 
tion was  an  immense  wooden  horse,  whicfe 
stood  upon  the  ground  that  the  Greek  en- 
campment had  occupied.  The  Trojans  im- 
mediatelv  gathered,  one  and  all,  around  the 

*/       O 

monster,  full  of  wonder  and  curiosity. 


B.C.  1200,]     DEsfBUOTioN  OF  TBOT.      81 

The  wooden  hone.  Its  probable  siio. 

in  narrating  the  story,  says  that  the  image 
was  as  large  as  a  mountain ;  but,  as  he  after- 
ward relates  that  the  people  drew  it  OB 
wheels  within  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  espe- 
cially as  he  represents  them  as  attaching  the 
ropes  for  this  purpose  to  the  neck  of  the  im 
age,  instead  of  to  its  fore-legs,  which  would 
have  furnished  the  only  proper  points  of  at 
tachment  if  the  effigy  had  been  of  any  very 
extraordinary  size,  he  must  have  had  a  very 
small  mountain  in  mind  in  making  the  com- 
parison. Or,  which  is  perhaps  more  proba- 
ble, he  used  the  term  only  in  a  vague  meta- 
phorical sense,  as  we  do  now  when  we  speak 
of  the  waves  of  the  ocean  as  running  moun- 
«,ain  high,  when  it  is  well  ascertained  that  the 
crests  of  the  billows,  even  in  the  most  violent 
and  most  protracted  storms,  never  rise  more 
than  twenty  feet  above  the  general  level. 

At  all  events,  the  image  was  large  enough 
to  excite  the  wonder  of  all  the  beholders. 
The  Trojan  people  gathered  around  it,  wholly 
unable  to  understand  for  what  purpose  the 
Greeks  could  have  constructed  such  a  mon- 
ster, to  leave  behind  them  on  their  departure 
from  Troy.  After  the  first  emotions  of  aston- 
ishment and  wonder  which  the  spectacle  awa- 
21—6 


82  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

Various  opinions  in  recpect  to  the  disposal  of  it 

kened,  had  somewhat  subsided,  there  followed 
a  consultation  in  respect  to  the  disposal  which 
was  to  be  made  of  the  prodigy.  The  opinions 
on  this  point  were  very  various.  One  com 
mander  was  disposed  to  consider  the  image 
a  sacred  prize,  and  recommended  that  they 
should  convey  it  into  the  city,  and  deposit  it 
in  the  citadel,  as  a  trophy  of  victory.  An- 
other, dissenting  decidedly  from  this  counsel, 
said  that  he  strongly  suspected  some  latent 
treachery,  and  he  proposed  to  build  a  fire 
under  the  body  of  the  monster,  and  bum  the 
image  itself  and  all  contrivances  for  mischief 
which  might  be  contained  in  it,  together.  A 
third  recommended  that  they  should  hew  it 
open,  and  see  for  themselves  what  there  might 
be  within.  One  of  the  Trojan  leaders  named 
Laocoon,  who,  just  at  this  juncture,  came  to 
the  spot,  remonstrated  loudly  and  earnestly 
against  having  any  thing  to  do  with  so  mys 
terious  and  suspicious  a  prize,  and,  by  waj 
of  expressing  the  strong  animosity  which  hf 
feit  toward  it,  he  hurled  his  spear  with  all 
his  force  against  the  monster's  side.  The 
spear  stood  trembling  in  the  wood,  producing 
a  deep  hollow  sound  by  the  concussion. 
What  the  decision  would  have  been  in  re- 


B.C.  1200.J     DESTKTJOTION  OF  TROY.      82 

Sudden  appearance  of  a  captive.  His  wretched  condition. 

spect  to  the  disposal  of  the  horse,  if  this  con 
sultation  and  debate  had  gone  on,  it  is  impo» 
sible  to  say,  as  the  farther  consideration  oi 
the  subject  was  all  at  once  interrnpted,  bj 
new  occurrences  which  here  suddenly  inter- 
vened, and  which,  after  engrossing  for  a  time 
the  whole  attention  of  the  company  assembled, 
finally  controlled  the  decision  of  the  question. 
A  crowd  of  peasants  and  shepherds  were  seen 
coming  from  the  mountains,  with  much  ex 
citement,  and  loud  shouts  and  outcries,  bring 
ing  with  them  a  captive  Greek  whom  they 
had  secured  and  bound.  As  the  peasants 
came  up  with  their  prisoner,  the  Trojans  gath- 
ered eagerly  round  them,  full  of  excitement 
and  threats  of  violence,  all  thirsting,  appa- 
rently, for  their  victim's  blood.  He,  on  hie 
part,  filled  the  air  with  the  most  piteous  lam- 
entations and  cries  for  mercy. 

His  distress  and  wretchedness,  and  the 
earnest  entreaties  which  he  uttered,  seemed 
at  length  to  soften  the  hearts  of  his  enemies 
and  finally,  the  violence  of  the  crowd  around 
the  captive  became  somewhat  appeased,  and 
was  succeeded  by  a  disposition  to  question 
him,  and  hear  what  he  had  to  say.  The 
Greek  told  them,  in  answer  to  their  interro 


84  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

Sinon'u  account  of  the  departure  of  the  Greeks. 

Cations,  that  his  name  was  Sinon,  and  that  lie 
was  a  fugitive  from  his  own  countrymen  the 
Greeks,  who  had  been  intending  to  kill  him. 
lie  said  that  the  Greek  leaders  had  long  been 
lesirous  of  abandoning  the  siege  of  Troy, 
and  that  they  had  made  many  attempts  to 
embark  their  troops  and  sail  away,  but  that 
the  winds  and  seas  had  risen  against  them  on 
every  such  attempt,  and  defeated  their  de- 
sign. They  then  sent  to  consult  the  oracle  of 
Apollo,  to  learn  what  was  the  cause  of  the 
displeasure  and  hostility  thus  manifested 
against  them  by  the  god  of  the  sea.  The  ora- 
cle replied,  that  they  could  not  depart  from 
Troy,  till  they  had  first  made  an  atoning  and 
,  Topitiatory  offering  by  the  sacrifice  of  a  man, 
»nch  an  one  as  Apollo  himself  might  desig- 
nate. When  this  answer  was  returned,  the 
whole  army,  as  Sinon  said,  was  thrown  into  a 
state  of  consternation.  No  one  knew  but  that 
the  fatal  designation  might  fall  on  him.  The 
leaders  were,  however,  earnestly  determined 
on  carrying  the  measure  into  effect.  Ulysses 
called  upon  Calchas,  the  priest  of  Apollo,  to 
point  out  the  man  who  was  to  die.  Calchas 
waited  day  after  day,  for  ten  days,  before  the 
divine  intimation  was  made  to  him  in  respect 


B.C.  1200.]     DESTRUCTION  OF  TROY.      85 

His  story  of  the  proposed  sacrifice.  HJI  escape. 

to  the  individual  who  -was  to  suffer.  At 
length  he  said  that  Sinon  was  the  destined 
victim.  His  comrades,  Sinon  said,  rejoicing 
in  their  own  escape  from  so  terrible  a  doom, 
eagerly  assented  to  the  priest's  decision,  and 
immediately  made  preparations  for  the  cere 
mony.  The  altar  was  reared.  The  victim 
was  adorned  for  the  sacrifice,  and  the  gar 
lands,  according  to  the  accustomed  usage, 
were  bound  upon  his  temples.  He  contrived, 
however,  he  said,  at  the  last  moment,  to  make 
his  escape.  He  broke  the  bands  with  which 
he  had  been  bound,  and  fled  into  a  morass 
near  the  shore,  where  he  remained  concealed 
in  inaccessible  thickets  until  the  Greeks  had 
sailed  away.  He  then  came  forth  and  was  at 
length  seized  and  bound  by  the  shepherds 
of  the  mountains,  who  found  him  wandering 
about,  in  extreme  destitution  and  misery.  Si- 
non concluded  his  tale  by  the  most  piteous 
lamentations,  on  his  wretched  lot.  The  Tro- 
jans, he  supposed,  would  kill  him,  and  thei 
Greeks,  on  their  return  to  his  native  land,  in 
their  anger  against  him  for  having  made  his 
escape  from  them,  would  destroy  his  wife  and 
children. 

The  air  and  manner  ^vith  which  Sinon  told 


36  ROMULUS.          .[B.C.  1200. 

Priam's  address  to  him.  Sinon's  account  of  the  bora*. 

this  story  seemed  so  sincere,  and  so  natural 
and  unaffected  were  the  expressions  of  wretch- 
sdness  and  despair  with  which  he  ended  his 
narrative,  that  the  Trojan  leaders  had  no  sus- 
picion that  it  was  not  true.  Their  compassion 
was  moved  for  the  wretched  fugitive,  and  they 
determined  to  spare  his  life.  Priam,  the  aged 
king,  who  was  present  at  the  scene,  in  the 
midst  of  the  Trojan  generals,  ordered  the 
cords  with  which  the  peasants  had  bound  the 
captive  to  be  sundered,  that  he  might  stand 
before  them  free.  The  king  spoke  to  him, 
too,  in  a  kind  and  encouraging  manner.  "  For- 
get your  countrymen,"  said  he.  "  They  are 
gone.  Henceforth  you  shall  be  one  of  us. 
We  will  take  care  of  you."  "  And  now,"  he 
continued,  "  tell  us  what  this  monstrous  image 
means.  Why  did  the  Greeks  make  it,  and 
why  have  they  left  it  here  ?" 

Sinon,  as  if  grateful  for  the  generosity  with 
which  his  life  had  been  spared,  professed  him- 
self ready  to  give  his  benefactors  the  fullest 
information.  He  told  them  that  the  wooden 
iiorse  had  been  built  by  the  Greeks  to  replace 
a  certain  image  of  Pallas  which  they  had 
previously  taken  and  borne  away  from  Troy. 
It  was  to  replace  this  image,  Sinon  said,  that 


B.C.  1200.]     DESTRUCTION  OF  IUOY.      87 


Effect  produced  by  Sinon's  story. 


the  Greeks  had  built  the  wooden  horse ;  and 
their  purpose  in  making  the  image  of  thie 
monstrous  size  was  to  prevent  the  possibility 
of  the  Trojans  taking  it  into  the  city,  and 
thus  appropriating  to  themselves  the  benefit 
of  its  protecting  efficacy  and  virtue. 

The  Trojans  listened  with  breathless  inter- 
est to  all  that  Sinon  said,  and  readily  believ- 
ed his  story ;  BO  admirably  well  did  he  coun- 
terfeit, by  his  words  and  his  demeanor,  all  the 
marks  and  tokens  of  honest  sincerity  in  what 
he  said  of  others,  as  well  of  grief  and  despair 
in  respect  to  his  own  unhappy  lot.  The  cur- 
rent of  opinion  which  had  begun  before  to  set 
strongly  in  favor  of  destroying  the  horse,  was 
wholly  turned,  and  all  began  at  once  to  look 
upon  the  colossal  image  as  an  object  of  sacred 
veneration,  and  to  begin  to  form  plans  for 
transporting  it  within  the  limits  of  the  city. 
Whatever  remaining  doubts  any  of  them 
might  have  felt  on  the  subject  were  dispelled 
by  the  occurrence  of  a  most  extraordinary 
phenomenon  just  at  this  stage  of  the  affair, 
which  was  understood  by  all  to  be  a  divine 
judgment  upon  Laocoon  for  his  sacreligioue 
temerity  in  striking  his  spear  into  the  horse's 
aide.  It  had  been  determined  to  offer  a  eacri 


88  EOMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 


The  serpents  and  Laocoon. 


fice  to  Neptune.  Lots  were  drawn  to  deter- 
mine who  should  perform  the  rite.  The  lc* 
fell  upxn  Laocoon.  He  began  to  make  prep- 
arations to  perform  the  duty,  assisted  by  his 
two  young  sons,  when  suddenly  two  immense 
serpents  appeared,  coming  up  from  the  sea. 
They  came  swimming  over  the  surface  of  the 
water,  with  their  heads  elevated  above  the 
waves,  until  they  reached  the  shore,  and  then 
gliding  swiftly  along,  they  advanced  across 
the  plain,  their  bodies  brilliantly  spotted  and 
glittering  in  the  sun,  their  eyes  flashing,  and 
their  forked  and  venomous  tongues  darting 
threats  and  defiance  as  they  came.  The  people 
fled  in  dismay.  The  serpents,  disregarding 
all  others,  made  their  way  directly  toward 
the  affrighted  children  of  Laocoon,  and  twin- 
ing around  them  they  soon  heid  the  writhing 
and  struggling  limbs  of  their  shrieking  victims 
hopelessly  entangled  in  their  deadly  convo- 
lutions. 

Laocoon,  who  was  himself  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  spot,  when  the  serpents  came,  as  soon 
as  he  saw  the  danger  and  heard  the  agonizing 
cries  of  his  boys,  seized  a  weapon  and  ran  tc 
rescue  them.  Instead,  however,  of  being  able 
to  save  his  children,  he  only  involved  himself 


B.C.  1200.]     DKSTBUOTION  OF  TBOT.      89 

Ancient  statue  of  Laocoon.  Its  history. 

in  their  dreadful  fate.  The  serpents  seized 
him  as  soon  as  he  came  within  their  reach, 
and  taking  two  turns  around  his  neck  and 
two  around  his  body,  and  binding  in  a  re- 
morseless gripe  the  forms  of  the  fainting  and 
dying  boys  with  other  convolutions,  they 
raised  their  heads  high  above  the  group  of 
victims  which  they  thus  enfolded,  and  hissed 
and  darted  out  their  forked  tongues  in  token  of 
defiance  and  victory.  When  at  length  their 
work  was  done,  they  glided  away  and  took 
refuge  in  a  temple  that  was  near,  and  coiled 
themselves  up  for  repose  beneath  the  feet  of 
the  statue  of  a  goddess  that  stood  in  the  shrine. 
The  story  of  Laocoon  has  become  celebrated 
among  all  mankind  in  modern  times  by  means 
of  a  statue  representing  the  catastrophe,  which 
was  found  two  or  three  centuries  ago  among 
the  ruins  of  an  ancient  edifice  at  Rome.  This 
statue  was  mentioned  by  an  old  Roman  writer, 
Pliny,  who  gave  an  account  of  it  while  it  yet 
stood  in  its  place  in  the  ancient  city.  He 
aaid  that  it  was  the  work  of  three  artists,  a 
father  and  two  sons,  who  combined  their  in- 
dustry and  skill  to  carve  in  one  group,  and 
with  immense  labor  and  care,  the  representa- 
tion of  Laocoon  himself,  the  two  boys,  ai/d 


ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 


Hie  Htatue  now  depot!  ted  In  the  Vatican.  Description  of  It. 

the  two  serpents,  making  five  living  beings 
Intertwined  intricately  together,  and  all  carved 
from  one  single  block  of  marble.  On  the  du 
eline  and  fall  of  E-ome  this  statue  was  lost 
among  the  ruins  of  the  city,  and  for  many 
centuries  it  was  known  to  mankind  only 
through  the  description  of  Pliny.  At  length 
it  was  brought  to  light  again,  having  been 
discovered  about  three  centuries  ago,  under 
the  ruins  of  the  very  edifice  in  which  Pliny 
had  described  it  as  standing.  It  immediately 
became  the  object  of  great  interest  and  atten- 
tion to  the  whole  world.  It  was  deposited  in 
the  Vatican  ;  a  great  reward  was  paid  to  the 
owner  of  the  ground  on  which  it  was  discov- 
ered ;  drawings  and  casts  of  it,  without  num- 
ber, have  been  made  ;  and  the  original  stands 
in  the  Vatican  now,  an  object  of  universal  in- 
terest, as  one  of  the  most  celebrated  sculp- 
tures of  ancient  or  modern  times. 

Laocoon  himself  forms  the  center  of  the 
group,  with  the  serpents  twined  around  him, 
while  he  struggles,  with  a  fearful  expression 
of  terror  and  anguish  in  his  countenance,  in 
the  vain  attempt  to  release  himself  from  their 
hold.  One  of  the  serpents  has  bitten  one  of 
the  bovs  in  the  side,  and  the  wounded  child 


B.C.  1200.]     DESTRUCTION  OF  TROY.      91 

Effect  produced  upon  the  Trojans  by  Laocoon's  fate. 

sinks  under  the  effects  of  the  poison.  Tha 
other  boy,  in  an  agony  of  terror,  is  struggling, 
hopelessly,  to  release  his  foot  from  the  convo- 
lutions with  which  one  of  the  serpents  has  en- 
circled it.  The  expression  of  the  whole  group 
is  exciting  and  painful,  and  yet  notwith- 
standing this,  there  is  combined  with  it  a  cer- 
iain  mysterious  grace  and  beauty  which 
charms  every  eye,  and  makes  the  composition 
the  wonder  of  mankind. 

But  to  return  to  the  story.  The  people  un- 
derstood this  awful  visitation  to  be  the  judg- 
ment of  heaven  against  Laocoon  for  his  sacri- 
legious presumption  in  daring  to  thrust  his 
spear  into  the  side  of  the  image  before  them, 
and  which  they  were  now  very  sure  they  were 
to  consider  as  something  supernatural  and 
divine.  They  determined  with  one  accord  to 
take  it  into  the  city. 

They  immediately  began  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  the  transportation  of  it.  They  raised 
it  from  the  ground,  and  fitted  to  the  feet  some 
sort  of  machinery  of  wheels  or  rollers,  suitable 
to  the  nature  of  the  ground,  and  strong  enough 
to  bear  the  weight  of  the  colossal  mass.  The\ 
attached  long  ropes  to  the  neck  of  the  image, 
and  extended  them  forward  upon  the  ground 


92  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

The  Trojans  draw  the  horse  into  the  city. 

and  then  brought  up  large  companies  of  citi- 
zens and  soldiers  to  man  them.  They  arranged 
a  procession,  consisting  of  the  generals  of  the 
army,  and  of  the  great  civil  dignitaries  of  th< 
8tate ;  and  in  addition  to  these  were  groups 
of  singing  boys  and  girls,  adorned  with  wreaths 
and  garlands,  who  were  appointed  to  chant 
sacred  hymns  to  solemnize  the  occasion. 
They  widened  the  access  to  the  city,  too,  by 
tearing  down  a  portion  of  the  wall  so  as  to 
open  a  sufficient  space  to  enable  the  monster 
to  get  in.  When  all  was  ready  the  ropes  were 
manned,  the  signal  was  given,  the  ponderous 
mass  began  to  move,  and  though  it  encoun- 
tered in  its  progress  many  difficulties,  obstruc- 
tions, and  delays,  in  due  time  it  was  safely 
deposited  in  the  court  of  a  great  public  edifice 
within  the  city.  The  wall  was  then  repaired, 
the  day  passed  away,  the  night  came  on,  the 
gates  were  shut,  and  the  curiosity  and  wonder 
of  the  people  within  being  gradually  satisfied, 
they  at  length  dispersed  to  their  several  homes 
and  retired  to  rest.  At  midnight  the  uncon- 
scious effigy  stood  silent  and  alone  where  its 
worshipers  had  left  it,  while  the  whole  pop- 
ulation of  the  city  were  sunk  in  slumber,  ex- 
cept the  sentinels  who  had  been  stationed  as 


C.C.  1200.]     DESTKDCTION  OF  TBOY.      93 


The  Greek*  admitted  to  the  city. 


usual  to  keep  guard  at  the  gates,  or  to  watch 
apon  the  towers  and  battlements  above  them. 
In  the  mean  time  the  Greek  fleet,  which  had 
•ailed  away  under  pretense  of  finally  aban 
donmg  the  country,  had  proceeded  only  to  the 
island  of  Tenedos,  which  was  about  a  league 
from  the  shore,  and  there  they  had  concealed 
themselves  during  the  day.  As  soon  as  night 
came  on  they  returned  to  the  main  land,  and 
disembarking  with  the  utmost  silence  and  se- 
crecy, they  made  their  way  back  again  under 
cover  of  the  darkness,  as  near  as  they  dared 
to  come  to  the  gates  of  the  city.  In  the  mean 
time  Sinon  had  arisen  stealthily  from  the 
sleep  which  he  had  feigned  to  deceive  those 
to  whose  charge  he  had  been  committed,  and 
creeping  cautiously  through  the  streets  he 
repaired  to  the  place  where  the  wooden  horse 
had  been  deposited,  and  there  opened  a  secret 
door  in  the  side  of  the  image,  and  liberated  a 
band  of  armed  and  desperate  men  who  had 
been  concealed  within.  These  mer,  as  soon 
48  they  had  descended  to  the  ground  and  had 
adjusted  their  armor,  rushed  to  the  city  walls, 
surprised  and  killed  the  sentinels  and  watch- 
men, threw  open  the  gates,  and  gave  the  whole 
body  of  their  comrades  that  were  lurking 


94  KoMULirs.  [B.C.  1200 

^Eneas  awakened  by  the  din.  His  meeting  with  Paatheus. 

outside  the  walls,  in  the  silence  and  darkness 
of  the  night,  an  unobstructed  admission. 

JSneas  was  asleep  in  his  house  while  these 
things  were  transpiring.  The  house  where  he 
j  red  was  in  a  retired  and  quiet  situation,  but 
he  was  awakened  from  his  sleep  by  distant 
outcries  and  din,  and  springing  from  his 
couch,  and  hastily  resuming  his  dress,  he  as- 
cended to  the  roof  of  the  house  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  the  alarm.  He  saw  flames  as- 
cending from  various  edifices  in  the  quarter 
of  the  city  where  the  Greeks  had  come  in. 
He  listened.  He  could  distinctly  hear  the 
shouts  of  men,  and  the  notes  of  trumpets 
sounding  the  alarm.  He  immediately  seized 
his  armor  and  rushed  forth  into  the  streets, 
arousing  the  inhabitants  around  him  from 
their  slumbers  by  his  shouts,  and  calling  upon 
them  to  arm  themselves  and  follow  him. 

In  the  midst  of  this  excitement,  there  sud- 
denly appeared  before  him,  coming  from  the 
scene  of  the  conflict,  a  Trojan  friend,  named 
Pantheus,  who  was  hastening  away  from  the 
danger,  perfectly  bewildered  with  excitement 
and  agitation.  He  was  leading  with  him  his 
little  son,  who  was  likewise  pale  with  terror. 
<£neas  asked  Pantheus  what  had  happened 


B.C.  1200.]     DESTRUCTION  OF  TBOF.      95 


Hl»  surprise  and  terror. 


Pantheus  in  reply  explained  to  him  in  hurried 
and  broken  words,  that  armed  men,  treacher- 
ously concealed  within  the  wooden  horse,  had 
iasued  forth  from  their  concealment,  and  had 
opened  the  gates  of  the  city,  and  let  the 
whole  horde  of  their  ferocious  and  desperate 
enemies  in;  that  the  sentinels  and  guards 
who  had  been  stationed  at  the  gates  had  been 
killed;  and  that  the  Greek  troops  had  full 
possession  of  the  city,  and  were  barricading 
the  streets  and  setting  fire  to  the  buildings  on 
every  side.  "All  is  lost,"  said  he,  "  our  cause 
is  ruined,  and  Troy  is  no  more." 

The  announcing  of  these  tidings  filled 
^Eneas  and  those  who  had  joined  him  with  a 
species  of  phrerisy.  They  resolved  to  press 
forward  into  the  combat,  and  there,  if  they 
must  perish  themselves,  to  carry  down  as 
many  as  possible  of  their  enemies  with  them 
to  destruction.  They  pressed  on,  therefore, 
through  the  gloomy  streets,  guiding  their  way 
toward  the  scene  of  action  by  the  glare  of  the 
Sres  upon  the  sky,  and  by  the  sounds  of  the 
distant  tumult  and  din. 

They  soon  found  themselves  in  the  midst 
of  scenes  of  dreadful  terror  and  confusion, — 
the  scenes,  in  fact,  which  are  usually  exhil> 


96  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200. 

Adventure*  of  JEneoa  and  Pantheua.  The  tortoise. 

ited  in  the  midnight  sacking  of  a  city.  They 
met  with  various  adventures  during  the  time 
that  they  continued  their  desperate  but  hope 
less  resistance.  They  encountered  a  party  of 
Greeks,  and  overpowered  and  slew  them,  and 
then,  seizing  the  armor  which  their  fallen  ene- 
mies had  worn,  they  disguised  themselves  in 
it,  in  hopes  to  deceive  the  main  body  of  the 
Greeks  by  this  means,  so  as  to  mingle  among 
them  unobserved,  and  thus  attack  and  de- 
stroy such  small  parties  as  they  might  meet 
without  being  themselves  attacked  by  the 
rest.  They  saw  the  princess  Cassandra,  the 
young  daughter  of  king  Priam,  dragged  away 
by  Greek  soldiers  from  a  temple  where  she 
had  sought  refuge.  They  immediately  un- 
dertook to  reset  .e  her,  and  were  at  once  at- 
tacked both  by  the  Greek  party  who  had  the 
princess  in  charge,  and  also  by  the  Trojan 
soldiers,  who  shot  arrows  and  darts  down 
upon  them  from  the  roofs  above,  supposing, 
from  the  armor  and  the  plumes  which  they 
wore,  that  they  were  enemies.  They  saw 
the  royal  palace  besieged,  and  the  torfoist 
formed  for  scaling  the  walls  of  it.  The  tu- 
mult and  din,  and  the  frightful  glare  of  lurid 
flames  by  which  the  city  was  illuminated, 


B.C.  1200.J     DESTRUCTION  OF  TROT.      99 

The  position  of  iEneas.  The  tower. 

formed  a  scene  of  inconceivable  confusion  and 
terror. 

^Eneas  watched  the  progress  of  the  assault 
apon  the  palace  from  the  top  of  certain  lofty 
roofs,  to  which  he  ascended  for  the  purpose. 
Here  there  was  a  slender  tower,  which  had 
been  built  for  a  watch-tower,  and  had  been 
carried  up  to  such  a  height  that,  from  the 
summit  of  it,  the  watchmen  stationed  there 
could  survey  all  the  environs  of  the  city,  and 
on  one  side  look  off  to  some  distance  over  the 
sea.  This  tower  ^Eneas  and  the  Trojans  who 
were  with  him  contrived  to  cut  off  at  its  base, 
and  throw  over  upon  the  throngs  of  Grecians 
that  were  thundering  at  the  palace  gates  be- 
below  Great  numbers  were  killed  'by  the 
falling  ruins,  and  the  tortoise  was  broken 
down.  The  Greeks,  however,  soon  formed  an- 
other tortoise,  by  means  of  which  some  of  the 
soldiers  scaled  the  walls,  while  others  broke 
down  the  gates  with  battering  rams  and  en- 
gines ;  and  thus  the  palace,  the  sacred  and 
*ast  remaining  stronghold  of  the  city,  was 
throw i  open  to  the  ferocious  and  frantic 
horde  of  its  assailants. 

The  sacking  of  the  palace  presented  a& 
awful  spectacle  to  the  view  of  ^Eneas  and  his 


100  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

The  sacking  of  the  palace.  Priam 

companions,  as  they  looked  down  upon  it 
from  the  roofs  and  battlements  around.  As 
the  walls,  one  after  another,  fell  in  under  the 
resistless  blows  dealt  by  the  engines  that  were 
brought  against  them,  the  interior  halls,  and 
the  most  retired  and  private  apartments,  were 
thrown  open  to  view — all  illuminated  by  the 
glare  of  the  surrounding  conflagrations. 

Shrieks  and  wailing,  and  every  other  species 
of  outcry  that  comes  from  grief,  terror,  and 
despair,  arose  from  within  ;  and  such  specta 
tors  as  had  the  heart  to  look  continuously 
upon  the  spectacle,  could  see  wretched  men 
running  to  and  fro,  and  virgins  clinging  to 
altars  for  protection,  and  frantic  mothers 
vainly  endeavoring  to  find  hiding-places  for 
themselves  and  their  helpless  children. 

Priam  the  king,  who  was  at  this  time  old 
*nd  infirm,  was  aroused  from  his  slumbers  by 
the  dreadful  din,  and  immediately  began  to 
seize  his  armor,  and  to  prepare  himself  for 
rushing  into  the  fight.  His  wife,  however, 
Hecuba,  begged  and  entreated  him  to  desist. 
She  saw  that  all  was  lost,  and  that  any  far- 
ther attempts  at  resistance  would  only  exas- 
perate their  enemies,  and  render  their  own 
destruction  the  more  inevitable  She  per 


B.C.  1200.]     DESTRUCTION  OF  TROY.     101 


Priam  and  Hecuba  at  the  altar. 


suaded  the  king,  therefore,  to  give  up  hia 
weapons  and  go  with  her  to  an  altar,  in  one 
of  the  courts  of  the  palace, — a  place  which  it 
would  be  sacrilege  for  their  enemies  to  violate 
—and  there  patiently  and  submissively  to 
await  the  end.  Priam  yielded  to  the  queen's 
solicitations,  and  went  with  her  to  the  place 
of  refuge  which  she  had  chosen; — and  the 
plan  which  they  thus  adopted,  might  very 
probably  have  been  successful  in  saving 
their  lives,  had  it  not  been  for  an  unex- 
pected occurrence  which  suddenly  inter- 
vened, and  which  led  to  a  fatal  result.  While 
they  were  seated  by  the  altar,  in  attitudes  of 
submission  and  suppliance,  they  were  sud- 
denly aroused  by  the  rushing  toward  them 
of  one  of  their  sois,  who  came  in,  wounded  and 
bleeding  from  8(  one  scene  of  combat,  and  pur- 
sued by  angry  aid  ferocious  foes.  The  spent 
and  fainting  wai  rior  sank  down  at  the  feet  of 
his  father  and  mother,  and  lay  there  dying 
and  weltering  in  the  blood  which  flowed  from 
!iis  wounds.  The  aged  king  was  aroused  to 
madness  at  this  upectacle.  He  leaped  to  his 
feet,  seized  a  javelin,  and  thundering  out  at 
the  same  time  the  most  loud  and  bitter  impre- 
sataons  against  the  murderers  of  his  son,  ha 


102  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

The  death  of  Priam.  The  despair  of  the  Trojans. 

hurled  the  weapon  toward  them  as  they  ad 
vanced.  The  javelin  struck  the  shield  of  th« 
leader  of  the  assailants,  and  rebounded  from 
it  without  producing  any  other  effect  than  to 
enrage  still  more  the  furious  spirit  which  it 
was  meant  to  destroy.  The  assailant  rushed 
forward,  seized  the  aged  father  by  the  hair, 
dragged  him  slipping,  as  he  went,  in  the  blood 
of  his  son,  up  to  the  altar,  and  there  plunged 
a  sword  into  his  body,  burying  it  to  the  hilt, 
— and  then  threw  him  down,  convulsed  and 
dying,  upon  the  body  of  his  dying  child. 

Thus  Priam  fell,  and  with  him  the  last 
hope  of  the  people  of  Troy.  The  city  in  full 
possession  of  their  enemies,  the  palace  and 
citadel  sacked  and  destroyed,  and  the  king 
slain,  they  saw  that  there  was  nothing  now 
left  for  which  they  had  any  wish  to  contend 


B.C.  1200.]     FLIGHT  or  ^NEAS.  103 

/Eneas's  reflection*.  He  determines  to  go  home. 


CHAPTER   V. 
THE    FLIGHT    OF    ./ENEAS. 


,  from  his  station  upon  the  battle- 
ments  of  a  neighboring  edifice,  wit- 
nessed the  taking  of  the  palace  and  the  death 
of  Priam.  He  immediately  gave  up  all  for 
lost,  and  turned  his  thoughts  at  once  to  the 
sole  question  of  the  means  of  saving  himself 
and  his  family  from  impending  destruction. 
He  thought  of  his  father,  Anchises,  who  at 
this  time  lived  with  him  in  the  city,  and  was 
nearly  of  the  same  age  as  Priam  the  king, 
whom  he  had  just  seen  so  cruelly  slain.  He 
thought  of  his  wife  too,  whom  he  had  left  at 
home,  and  of  his  little  son  Ascanius,  and  he 
began  now  to  be  overwhelmed  with  the  ap- 
prehension, that  the  besiegers  had  found  their 
way  to  his  dwelling,  and  were,  perhaps,  at 
that  very  moment  plundering  and  destroying 
it  and  perpetrating  cruel  deeds  of  violence 
and  outrage  upon  his  wife  and  family.  He 
determined  immediately  to  hasten  home. 
He  looked  around  to  see  who  of  his  corn 


104  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

.I'.neta  U  left  at  last  alone.  He  got*  away 

pan  ions  remained  with  him.  There  was  not 
one.  They  had  all  gone  and  left  him  alone. 
Some  had  leaped  down  from  the  battlements 
and  made  their  escape  to. other  parts  of  the 
city.  Some  had  fallen  in  the  attempt  to  leap, 
and  had  perished  in  the  flames  that  were 
burning  among  the  buildings  beneath  them. 
Others  still  had  been  reached  by  darts  and 
arrows  from  below,  and  had  tumbled  head- 
long from  their  lofty  height  into  the  street  be- 
neath them.  The  Greeks,  too,  had  left  that 
part  of  the  city.  When  the  destruction  of 
the  palace  had  been  effected,  there  was  no 
longer  any  motive  to  remain,  and  they  had 
gone  away,  one  band  after  another,  with  loud 
shouts  of  exultation  and  defiance,  to  seek  new 
combats  in  other  quarters  of  the  city.  JEneas 
listened  to  the  sounds  of  their  voices,  as  they 
gradually  died  away  upon  his  ear.  Thus,  in 
one  way  and  another,  all  had  gone,  and 
^Eneas  found  himself  alone. 

^Eneas  contrived  to  find  his  way  back  safely 
tc  the  street,  and  then  stealthily  choosing  hi 
way,  and  vigilantly  watching  against  the  dan- 
gers that  surrounded  him,  he  advanced  cau- 
tiously among  the  ruins  of  the  palace,  in  the 
direction  toward  his  own  home.  Ho  had  not 


E.C.1200.]  FLIGHT  OF  .ENEAS. 


105 


He  sees  the  princess  Helen. 


Story  of  Helen. 


proceeded  far  before  he  saw  a  female  figure 
lurking  in  the  shadow  of  an  altar  near  which 
he  had  to  pass.  It  proved  to  be  the  princess 
Helen 


HELEN. 


Helen  was  a  Grecian  princess,  formerly  the 
•wife  of  Menelaus,  king  of  Sparta,  but  she  had 
eloped  from  Greece  some  years  before,  with 
Paris,  the  son  of  Priam,  king  of  Troy,  and 
this  elopement  had  been  the  whole  cause  of 
the  Trojan  war.  In  the  first  instance,  Mene- 


106  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

./Eneas  determine*  to  destroy  her.  His  reflections. 

laus,  accompanied  by  another  Grecian  chief- 
tain, went  to  Troy  and  demanded  that  Helen 
ihould  be  given  up  again  to  her  proper  hu& 
band.  Paris  refused  to  surrender  her.  Mene- 
laus  then  returned  to  Greece  and  organized  a 
grand  expedition  to  proceed  to  Troy  and  re- 
capture the  queen.  This  was  the  origin  of  the 
war.  The  people,  therefore,  looked  upon 
Helen  as  the  cause,  whether  innocent  or 
guilty,  of  all  theii  calamities. 

When  ^Eneas,  therefore,  who  was,  as  may 
well  be  supposed,  in  no  very  amiable  or  gentle 
temper,  as  he  hurried  along  away  from  the 
smoking  ruins  of  the  palace  toward  his  home, 
saw  Helen  endeavoring  to  screen  herself  from 
the  destruction  which  she  had  been  the  means 
of  bringing  upon  all  that  he  held  dear,  he  was 
aroused  to  a  phrensy  of  anger  against  her,  and 
determined  to  avenge  the  wrongs  of  his  coun 
try  by  her  destruction.  "I  will  kill  her,"  said 
he  to  himself,  as  he  rushed  forward  toward 
the  spot  where  she  was  concealed.  "  There  is 
no  great  glory  it  is  true  in  wreaking  ven- 
geance on  a  woman,  or  in  bringing  her  to  the 
punishment  which  her  crimes  deserve.  Still 
I  will  kill  her,  and  I  shall  be  commended  for 
the  deed.  She  shall  not,  after  bringing 


B.C.  1200.]     FLIGHT  OF  JSNEAS.  107 

The  apparition  of  Aphrodite.  Her  words. 

ruin  upon  us,  escape  herself,. and  go  back 
to  Greece  in  safety  and  be  a  queen  there 
Rt'ain." 

As  ^Eneas  said  these  words,  rushing  for 
r?ard  at  the  same  time,  sword  in  hand,  he  wag 
suddenly  intercepted  and  brought  to  a  stand 
by  the  apparition  of  his  mother,  the  goddess 
Aphrodite,  who  all  at  once  stood  in  the  way 
before  him.  She  stopped  him,  took  him  by 
the  hand,  urged  him  to  restrain  his  useless 
anger,  and  calmed  and  quieted  him  with 
soothing  words.  "  It  is  not  Helen,"  said  she, 
u  that  has  caused  the  destruction  of  Troy.  It 
is  through  the  irresistible  and  irrevocable  de- 
crees of.  the  gods  that  the  city  has  fallen.  It 
is  useless  for  you  to  struggle  against  inevita- 
ble destiny,  or  to  attempt  to  take  vengeance 
on  mere  human  means  and  instrumentalities. 
Think  no  more  of  Helen.  Think  of  your  fam- 
ily. Your  aged  father,  your  helpless  wife, 
your  little  son, — where  are  they  ?  Even  now 
while  you  are  wasting  time  here  in  vain  at- 
tempts to  take  vengeance  on  Helen  for  what 
the  gods  have  done,  all  that  are  near  and  dear 
to  you  are  surrounded  by  ferocious  enemies 
thirsting  for  their  blood.  Fly  to  them  and 
save  them.  I  shall  accompany  you,  though 


108  KoMULts.  [B.C.  1200. 

Hie  mother'*  magical  protection.  He  reaches  his  home. 

unseen,  and  will  protect  you  and  them  from 
every  impending  danger." 

As  soon  as  Aphrodite  had  spoken  these 
words  she  disappeared  from  view.  ^Eneas, 
following  her  injunctions,  went  directly  to- 
ward his  home ;  and  he  found  as  he  passed 
along  the  streets  that  the  way  was  opened  foi 
him,  by  mysterious  movements  among  the 
armed  bands  which  were  passing  in  every  di 
rection  about  the  city,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
convince  him  that  his  mother  was  really  ac- 
companying him,  and  protecting  his  way  by 
her  supernatural  powers. 

When  he  reached  home  the  first  person 
whom  he  saw  was  Anchises  his  father.  He 
told  Anchises  that  all  was  lost,  and  that  noth- 
ing now  remained  for  them  but  to  seek 
safety  for  themselves  by  flying  to  the  moun- 
tains behind  the  city.  But  Anchises  refused 
to  go.  "  You  who  are  young,"  said  he,  "  and 
who  have  enough  of  life"  before  you  to  bt 
worth  preserving,  may  fly.  As  for  me  I  will 
not  attempt  to  save  the  little  remnam  that  re- 
mains to  me,  to  be  spent,  if  saved,  in  misera- 
ble exile.  If  the  powers  of  heaven  had  in- 
tended that  I  should  have  lived  any  longer, 
they  would  have  spared  my  native  city, — my 


B.C.  1200.]     FLIGHT  OF  ^ENEAS.  109 

The  determination  of  Anchisea.  Creuaa's  entreatiec. 

only  home.  You  may  go  yourselves,  but 
leave  me  here  to  die." 

In  saying  these  words  Anchises  turned 
•way  in  great  despondency,  firmly  fixed, 
apparently,  in  his  determination  to  remain 
and  share  the  fate  of  the  city.  ^Eneas  and 
Creusa  his  wife  joined  their  entreaties  in  urg- 
ing him  to  go  away.  But  he  would  not  be 
persuaded.  ^Eneas  then  declared  that  he 
would  not  go  and  leave  his  father.  If  one 
was  to  die  they  would  all  die,  he  said,  togeth 
er.  He  called  for  his  armor  and  began  to 
put  it  on,  resolving  to  go  out  again  into  the 
streets  of  the  city  and  die,  since  he  must  die, 
in  the  act  of  destroying  his  destroyers. 

He  was,  however,  prevented  from  carrying 
this  determination  into  effect,  by  Creusa's  in- 
tervention, who  fell  down  before  him  at  the 
threshold  of  the  door,  almost  frantic  with  ex- 
citement and  terror,  and  holding  her  little 
son  Ascanius  with  one  arm,  and  clasping  her 
husband's  knees  with  the  other,  she  begged 
him  not  to  leave  them.  "  Stay  and  save  us," 
said  she ;  "  do  not  go  and  throw  your  life 
away.  Or,  if  you  will  go,  take  us  with  you 
that  we  may  all  die  together." 

The  conflict  of  impulses  and  passions  in  thu 


110  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

The  plan  formed  for  the  escape  of  the  family. 

nnhappy  family  continued  for  some  time 
longer,  but  it  ended  at  last  in  the  yielding  of 
Anchises  to  the  wishes  of  the  rest,  and  they 
all  resolved  to  fly.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
Doise  and  uproar  in  the  streets  of  the  city,  \\ero 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  and  the  light  of 
the  burning  buildings  breaking  out  continu- 
ally at  new  points  in  the  progress  of  the  con- 
flagration, indicated  that  no  time  was  to  be 
lost.  ./Eneas  hastily  formed  his  plan.  His 
father  was  too  old  and  infirm  to  go  himself 
through  the  city.  ^Eneas  determined  there- 
fore to  carry  him  upon  his  shoulders.  Little 
Ascanius  was  to  walk  along  by  his  side. 
Creusa  was  to  follow,  keeping  as  close  as  pos- 
sible to  her  husband  lest  she  should  lose  him 
in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  or  in  the  scenes 
of  uproar  and  confusion  through  which  they 
would  have  to  pass  on  the  way.  The  domes- 
tics of  the  family  were  to  escape  from  the  city 
by  different  routes,  each  choosing  his  own,  in 
9rder  to  avoid  attracting  the  attention  of  their 
enemies ;  and  when  once  without  the  gates 
they  were  all  to  rendezvous  again  at  a  cer- 
tain rising  ground,  not  far  from  the  city, 
which  ./Eneas  designated  to  them  by  means 
of  an  old  deserted  temple  which  marked  the 


B.C.  1200.]     FLIGHT  OF  J^NEAS.  Ill 

The  lion's  ikln.  The  household  gods.  Creusa. 

epot,  and   a  venerable  cypress  which  grew 
there. 

This  plan  being  formed  the  party  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  put  it  in  execution. 
^Eneas  spread  a  lion's  skin  over  his  shoulders 
to  make  the  resting-place  more  easy  for  his 
father,  or  perhaps  to  lighten  the  pressure  of 
the  heavy  burden  upon  his  own  limbs.  An- 
chises  took  what  were  called  the  household 
gods,  in  his  hands.  These  were  sacred  images 
which  it  was  customary  to  keep,  in  those  days, 
in  every  dwelling,  as  the  symbol  and  embodi- 
ment of  divine  protection.  To  save  these 
images,  when  every  thing  else  was  given  up 
for  lost,  was  always  the  object  of  the  last  des- 
perate effort  of  the  husband  and  father. 
^Eneas  in  this  case  asked  his  father  to  take 
these  images,  as  it  would  have  been  an  impi- 
ety for  him,  having  come  fresh  from  scenes 
of  battle  and  bloodshed,  to  have  put  his  hand 
upon  them,  without  previously  performing 
some  ceremony  of  purification.  Ascaniua 
took  hold  of  his  father's  hand.  Creusa  fol- 
lowed behind.  Thus  arranged  they  sallied 
forth  from  the  house  into  the  streets — all  dark 
and  gloomy,  except  so  far  as  they  received  a 
partial  and  inconstant  li^ht  from  the  flames 


112  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

The  whole  party  proceed  towards  the  gates. 

of  the  distant  conflagrations,  which  glared  in 
the  sky,  and  flashed  sometimes  upon  battle 
ments  and  towers,  and  upon  the  tops  of  lofty 
dwellings. 

^Eneas  pressed  steadily  on,  though  in  a 
state  continually  of  the  highest  excitement 
and  apprehension.  He  kept  stealthily  along 
wherever  he  could  find  the  deepest  shadows, 
under  walls,  and  through  the  most  obscure 
and  the  narrowest  streets.  He  was  in  con- 
stant fear  lest  some  stray  dart  or  arrow  should 
strike  Anchises  or  Creusa,  or  lest  some  band 
of  Greeks  should  come  suddenly  upon  them, 
in  which  case  he  knew  well  that  they  would 
all  be  cut  down  without  mercy,  for,  loaded 
down  as  he  was  with  his  burden,  he  would 
be  entirely  unable  to  do  any  thing  to  de- 
fend either  himself  or  them.  The  party,  how- 
ever, for  a  time  seemed  to  escape  all  these 
dangers,  but  at  length,  just  as  they  were  ap* 
preaching  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  began  to 
think  that  they  were  safe,  they  were  suddenly 
alarmed  by  a  loud  uproar,  and  by  a  rush  ot 
men  which  came  in  toward  them  from  seine 
streets  in  that  quarter  of  the  city,  and  threat- 
ened to  overwhelm  them.  Anchises  was 
greatly  alarmed.  He  saw  the  gleaming 


JB.0. 1200.J     FLIGHT  OF  ^ENEAS.  113 

beape  from  the  city.  Creuu  to  tort. 

weapons  of  the  Greeks  who  were  rushing  to- 
ward them,  and  he  called  out  to  ^Eneas  to 
fly  faster,  or  to  turn  off  some  other  way,  in 
order  to  escape  the  impending  danger.  ^Eneaa 
was  terrified  by  the  shouts  and  uproar  which 
he  heard,  and  his  mind  was  for  a  moment  con- 
fused by  the  bewildering  influences  of  the 
scene.  He  however  hurried  forward,  running 
this  way  and  that,  wherever  there  seemed  the 
best  prospect  of  escape,  and  often  embarrassed 
and  retarded  in  his  flight  by  the  crowds  of 
people  who  were  moving  confusedly  in  all 
directions.  At  length,  however,  he  succeed- 
ed in  finding  egress  from  the  city.  He  press 
ed  on,  without  stopping  to  look  behind  him 
till  he  reached  the  appointed  place  of  rendez- 
vous on  the  hill,  and  then  gently  laying  down 
his  burden,  he  looked  around  for  Creusa.  She 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

^Eneas  was  in  utter  consternation,  at  find- 
ing that  his  wife  was  gone.  He  mourned  and 
lamented  this  dreadful  calamity  with  loud  ex- 
clamations of  grief  and  despair ;  then  reflect- 
ing that  it  was  a  time  for  action  and  not  for 
idle  grief,  he  hastened  to  conceal  his  father 
and  Ascanius  in  a  dark  and  winding  valley  be- 
hiixd  the  hill,  and  leaving  them  there  under 

21—8 


114  ROMULUS.  [B.C..  12%. 

jEneaa  goes  back  in  search  of  Creusa 

the  charge  of  his  domestics,  he  hastened  back 
1  >  the  city  to  see  if  Creusa  could  be  found. 

He  armed  himself  completely  before  he 
went,  being  in  his  desperation  determined  to 
encounter  every  danger  in  his  attempts  to  find 
and  to  recover  his  beloved  wife.  He  went 
directly  to  the  gate  from  which  he  had  come 
out,  and  re-entering  the  city  there,  he  began 
to  retrace,  as  well  as  he  could,  the  way  that 
he  had  taken  in  coming  out  of  the  city — 
guiding  himself  as  he  went,  by  the  light  of 
the  flames  which  rose  up  here  and  there  from 
the  burning  buildings. 

He  went  on  in  this  way  in  a  desperate  state 
of  agitation  and  distress,  searching  everywhere 
but  seeing  nothing  of  Creusa.  At  length  he 
thought  it  possible  that  she  had  concluded, 
when  she  found  herself  separated  from  him, 
to  go  back  to  the  house,  as  the  safest  place  of 
refuge  for  her,  and  he  determined,  accord- 
ingly, to  go  and  seek  her  there.  This  was  hifi 
last  hope,  and  most  cruelly  was  it  disappointed 
when  he  came  to  the  place  of  his  dwelling. 

He  found  his  house,  when  he  arrived  near 
the  6pot,  all  in  flames.  The  surrounding 
buildings  were  burning  too,  and  the  streets  ir* 
the  neighborhood  were  piled  up  with  furni 


B.C.  1200.J       ALIGHT  OF   7&NEAS.  115 

He  finds  that  his  house  haa  been  burned. 

tore  and  goods  which  the  wretched  inmates 
of  the  dwellings  had  vainly  endeavored  to 
save.  These  inmates  themselves  were  stand- 
ing around,  distracted  with  grief  and  terror, 
and  gazing  hopelessly  upon  the  scene  of  dev- 
astation before  them. 

^Eneas  saw  all  these  things  at  a  glance,  and 
immediately,  in  a  frenzy  of  excitement,  began 
to  call  out  Creusa's  name.  He  went  to  and 
fro  among  the  groups  surrounding  the  fire, 
calling  for  her  in  a  frantic  manner,  and  im 
ploring  ail  whom  he  saw  to  give  him  some 
tidings  of  her.  All  was,  however,  in  vain. 
She  could  not  be  found.  ^Eneas  then  went 
roaming  about  through  other  portions  of  the 
city,  seeking  her  everywhere,  and  inquiring 
for  her  of  every  person  whom  he  met  that  had 
the  appearance  of  being  a  friend.  His  sus- 
pense, however,  was  terminated  at  last  by  his 
suddenly  coming  upon  an  apparition  of  the 
spirit  of  Creusa,  which  rose  before  him  in  a 
solitary  part  of  the  city,  and  arrested  his  pro- 
gress. The  apparition  was  of  preternatura* 
size,  and  it  stood  before  him  in  so  ethereal 
and  shadow-like  a  form,  and  the  features 
beamed  upon  him  with  so  calm  and  placid 
and  benignant  an  expression,  as  convinced 


116  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200. 

The  apparition  of  Oeuaa.  Her  prediction*. 

him  that  the  vision  was  not  of  this  world. 
vEneas  saw  at  a  glance  that  Creusa's  earthly 
sorrows  and  sufferings  were  ended  forever. 

At  first  he  was  shocked  and  terrified  at  the 
spectacle.  Creusa,  however,  endeavored  to 
calm  and  quiet  him  by  soothing  words.  "My 
dearest  husband,"  said  she,  "  do  not  give  way 
thus  to  anxiety  and  grief.  The  events  which 
have  befallen  us,  have  not  come  by  chance. 
They  are  all  ordered  by  an  overruling  provi 
dence  that  is  omnipotent  and  divine.  It  was 
predetermined  by  the  decrees  of  heaven  that 
you  were  not  to  take  me  with  you  in  your 
flight.  I  have  learned  what  your  future  des- 
tiny is  to  be.  There  is  a  long  period  of  weary 
wandering  before  you,  over  the  ocean  and  on 
the  land,  and  you  will  have  many  difficulties, 
dangers,  and  trials  to  incur.  You  will,  how- 
ever, be  conducted  safely  through  them  all, 
and  will  in  the  end  find  a  peaceful  and  happy 
home  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber.  There  you 
will  found  a  new  kingdom  ;  a  princess  is  even 
now  provided  for  you  there,  to  become  your 
bride.  Cease  then  to  mourn  for  me  ;  rather 
rejoice  that  I  did  not  fall  a  captive  into  the 
hands  of  our  enemies,  to  be  carried  away  into 
Greece  and  made  a  slave.  I  am  free,  and  yon 


B.C.  1200.]     FLIGHT  OF  ./ENEAS.  117 

Her  farewell  to  her  husband.  Preparations  for  departure. 

must  not  lament  my  fate.  Farewell.  Love 
Ascanius  for  my  sake,  and  watch  over  him  and 
protect  him  as  long  as  you  live." 

Having  spoken  these  words,  the  vision  be- 
gan to  disappear.  ^Eneas  endeavored  to 
clasp  the  beloved  image  in  his  arms  to  retain 
it,  but  it  was  intangible  and  evanescent,  and, 
before  he  could  speak  to  it,  it  was  gone,  and 
he  was  left  standing  in  the  desolate  and 
gloomy  street  alone.  He  turned  at  length 
slowly  away ;  and  solitary,  thoughtful  and 
sad,  he  went  back  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  and 
thence  out  to  the  valley  where  he  had  con- 
cealed Anchises  and  his  little  son. 

He  found  them  safe.  The  whole  party 
then  sought  places  of  retreat  among  the  glena 
and  mountains,  where  they  could  remain 
concealed  a  few  days,  while  ./Eneas  and  his 
companions  could  make  arrangements  for 
abandoning  the  country  altogether.  These 
arrangements  were  soon  completed.  As  soon 
as  the  Greeks  had  retired,  so  that  they  could 
come  out  without  danger  from  their  place  of 
retreat,  ^Eneas  employed  his  men  in  building 
a  number  of  small  vessels,  fitting  them,  aa 
was  usual  in  those  days,  both  with  sails  and 


118  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

J2nea8*B  company  increases.  His  fleet.  The  embarkation. 

Daring  the  progress  of  these  preparations, 
small  parties  of  Trojans  were  coming  in  coi>- 
tinually,  day  by  day,  to  join  him ;  being 
drawn  successively  from  their  hiding-places 
among  the  mountains,  by  hearing  that  the 
Greeks  had  gone  away,  and  that  ^Eneas  was 
gradually  assembling  the  remnant  of  the  Tro- 
jans on  the  shore.  The  numbers  thus  col- 
lected at  ^Eneas's  encampment  gradually  in- 
creased, and  as  JSneas  enlarged  and  extended 
his  naval  preparations  to  correspond  with  the 
augmenting  numbers  of  his  adherents,  he  found 
when  he  was  ready  to  set  sail,  that  he  was  at 
the  head  of  a  very  respectable  naval  and 
military  force. 

"When  the  fleet  at  last  was  ready,  he  put  a 
stock  of  provisions  on  board,  and  embarked 
his  men, — taking,  of  course,  Anchises  and 
Ascani-us  with  him.  As  soon  as  a  favorable 
wind  arose,  the  expedition  set  sail.  As  the 
vessels  moved  slowly  away,  the  decks  were 
aovered  with  men  and  women,  who  gazed 
mournfully  at  the  receding  shores,  conscious 
that  they  were  bidding  a  final  farewell  to 
their  native  land. 

The  nearest  country  within  reach  in  leaving 
the  Trojan  coast,  was  Thrace- — a  country  ly- 


B.C. 1200.]  FLIGHT    OF    .ENEAS. 


119 


Map  of  the  wanderings  of  JEneas. 


ing  north  of  the  Egean  Sea,  and  of  the  Pro- 
pontis,  being  separated,  in  fact,  in  one  par", 
from  the  Trojan  territories,  only  hy  the  Hei- 


lespont.  ^Eneas  turned  his  course  northward 
toward  this  country,  and,  after  a  short  voy- 
age, landed  there,  and  attempted  to  make  a 
settlement.  He  was,  however,  prevented  from 
remaining  long,  hy  a  dreadful  prodigy  which 
he  witnessed  there,  and  which  induced  him 


120  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200. 

A  dreadful  prodigy.  The  bleeding  myrtle. 

to  leave  those  shores  very  precipitously.    The 
prodigy  was  this : 

They  had  erected  an  altar  on  the  shore, 
after  they  had  landed,  and  were  preparing  to 
offer  the  sacrifices  customary  on  such  occa- 
sions, when  ^Eneas,  wishing  to  shade  the  altar 
with  boughs,  went  to  a  myrtle  bush  which 
was  growing  near,  and  began  to  pull  up  the 
green  shoots  from  the  ground.  To  his  aston- 
ishment and  horror,  he  found  that  blood 
flowed  from  the  roots  whenever  they  were 
broken.  Drops  of  what  appeared  to  be  hu- 
man blood  would  ooze  from  the  ruptured  part 
as  he  held  the  shoot  in  his  hand,  and  fall 
slowly  to  the  ground.  He  was  greatly  terri- 
fied at  this  spectacle,  considering  it  as  some 
omen  of  very  dreadful  import.  He  imme- 
diately and  instinctively  offered  up  a  prayer 
to  the  presiding  deities  of  the  land,  that  they 
would  avert  from  him  the  evil  influences, 
whatever  they  might  be,  which  the  omen 
seemed  to  portend,  or  that  they  would  at  least 
explain  the  meaning  of  the  prodigy.  After 
offering  this  prayer,  he  took  hold  of  another 
stem  of  the  myrtle,  and  attempted  to  draw  it 
from  the  ground,  in  order  to  see  whether  any 
change  in  the  appearances  exhibited  by  the 


B.C.  1200.]     FLIGHT  OF  JENEAS.  121 

Words  of  the  myrtle.  Story  of  Polydorus. 

prodigy  had  been  effected  by  his  prayer.  At 
the  instant,  however,  when  the  roots  began  to 
gi  ve  way,  he  heard  a  groan  coming  up  from 
the  ground  below,  as  if  from  a  person  in  suf- 
fering. Immediately  afterward  a  voice,  in  a 
mournful  and  sepulchral  accent,  began  to  beg 
him  to  go  away,  and  cease  disturbing  the  re- 
pose of  the  dead.  "What  you  are  tearing 
and  lacerating,"  said  the  voice,  "is  not  a  tree, 
but  a  man.  I  am  Polydorus.  I  was  killed 
by  the  king  of  Thrace,  and  instead  of  burial, 
have  been  turned  into  a  myrtle  growing  on 
the  shore." 

Polydorus  was  a  Trojan  prince.  He  was 
the  youngest  son  of  Priam,  and  had  been  sent 
some  years  before  to  Thrace,  to  be  brought 
up  in  the  court  of  the  Thracian  king.  He  had 
been  provided  with  a  large  supply  of  money 
and  treasure  when  he  left  Troy,  in  order  that 
all  his  wants  might  be  abundantly  supplied, 
and  that  he  might  maintain,  during  his  ab- 
sence from  home,  the  position  to  which  hit 
rank  as  a  Trojan  prince  entitled  him.  His 
treasures,  however,  which  had  been  provided 
for  him  by  his  father  as  his  sure  reliance  fo* 
support  and  protection,  became  the  occasion  of 
his  ruin — for  the  Thracian  king,  when  he  found 


122  KOMOLUS.  [B.C.  1200, 

jfinons  leaves  Thrace.  His  various  wandering*. 

that  the  war  was  going  against  the  Trojans, 
and  that  Priam  the  father  was  slain,  and  the 
city  destroyed,  murdered  the  helpless  son  to 
get  possession  of  his  gold. 

^Eneas  and  his  companions  were  shocked  to 
hear  this  story,  and  perceived  at  once  that 
rhrace  was  no  place  of  safety  for  them.  They 
resolved  immediately  to  leave  the  coast  and 
seek  their  fortunes  in  other  regions.  They 
however,  first,  in  secrecy  and  silence,  but  with 
great  solemnity,  performed  those  funeral  rites 
for  Polydorus  which  were  considered  in  those 
ages  essential  to  the  repose  of  the  dead. 
When  these  mournful  ceremonies  were  ended 
they  embarked  on  board  their  ships  again  and 
sailed  away. 

After  this,  the  party  of  JSneas  spent  many 
months  in  weary  voyages  from  island  to 
island,  and  from  shore  to  shore,  along  the 
Mediterranean  sea,  encountering  every  ima- 
ginable difficulty  and  danger,  and  meeticg 
continually  with  the  strangest  and  most  ro- 
mantic adventures.  At  one  time  they  were 
misled  by  a  mistaken  interpretation  of  proph 
ecy  to  attempt  a  settlement  in  Crete — a  green 
and  beautiful  island  lying  south  of  the 
Egean  sea.  They  had  applied  to  a  sacred 


B.C.  1200.]     FLIGHT  OF  JENEAS.  123 


The  attempted  settlement  at  Crete. 


oracle,  which  had  its  seat  at  a  certain  conse 
crated  spot  which  they  visited  in  the  course  of 
their  progress  southward  through  the  Egeac 
sea,  asking  the  oracle  to  direct  them  where  to 
go  in  order  to  find  a  settled  home.  The  oracle, 
in  answer  to  their  request,  informed  tnem  mat 
they  were  to  go  to  the  land  that  their  ances- 
tors had  originally  come  from,  before  their 
settlement  in  Troy.  ^Eneas  applied  to  An- 
chises  to  inform  them  what  land  this  was 
Anchises  replied,  that  he  thought  it  was  Crete. 
There  was  an  ancient  tradition,  he  said,  that 
some  distinguished  men  among  the  ancestors 
of  the  Trojans  had  originated  in  Crete  ;  and 
he  presumed  accordingly  that  that  was  the 
land  to  which  the  oracle  referred. 

The  course  of  the  little  fleet  was  according 
ly  directed  southward,  and  in  due  time  the 
expedition  safely  reached  the  island  of  Crete, 
and  landed  there.  They  immediately  com- 
menced the  work  of  effecting  a  settlement. 
They  drew  the  ships  up  upon  the  shore ;  they 
laid  out  a  city;  they  inclosed  and  planted 
fields,  and  began  to  build  their  houses.  IE  a 
short  time,  however,  all  their  bright  prospects 
of  rest  and  security  were  blighted  by  the 
breaking  out  of  a  dreadfui  pestilence  among 


124  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200 

Calamities.  .dSneas's  perplexity.  Advice  of  AcehUe*. 

them.  Many  died;  others  who  still  lived, 
were  uiterly  prostrated  by  the  effects  of  the 
disease,  and  crawled  about,  emaciated  and 
wretched,  a  miserable  and  piteous  spectacle 
to  behold.  To  crown  their  misfortunes,  a 
great  drought  came  on.  The  grain  which 
they  had  planted  was  dried  up  and  killed  in 
the  fields ;  and  thus,  in  addition  to  the  horrors 
of  pestilence,  they  were  threatened  with  the 
still  greater  horrors  of  famine.  Their  distress 
was  extreme,  and  they  were  utterly  at  a  loss 
to  know  what  to  do. 

In  this  extremity  Anchises  recommended 
that  they  should  send  back  to  the  oracle  to 
inquire  more  particularly  in  respect  to  the 
meaning  of  the  former  response,  in  order  to 
ascertain  whether  they  had,  by  possibility, 
misinterpreted  it,  and  made  their  settlement 
on  the  wrong  ground.  Or,  if  this  was  not  the 
case,  to  learn  by  what  other  error  or  fault  they 
had  displeased  the  celestial  powers,  and 
brought  upon  themselves  such  terrible  judg- 
ments. ^Eneas  determined  to  adopt  this  ad- 
vice, but  he  was  prevented  from  carrying  hie 
intentions  into  effect  by  the  following  occur 
rence. 

One  night  he  was  lying  upon  his  couch  ia 


B.C.  liJOO.]     FLIGHT  OF  ^KEAS.  125 

Boene  at  night.       The  household  deities.       Their  address  jo  JEneaa. 

his  dwelling, — so  harassed  by  his  anxieties 
and  cares  that  he  could  not  sleep,  and  revolving 
in  his  mind  all  possible  plans  for  extricating 
himself  and  his  followers  from  the  difficulties! 
which  environed  them.  The  moon  shone  ii 
at  the  windows,  and  by  the  light  of  this  lu 
minary  he  saw,  reposing  in  their  shrines  i» 
the  opposite  side  of  the  apartment  where  he 
was  sleeping,  the  household  images  which  he 
had  rescued  from  the  flames  of  Troy.  As  he 
looked  upon  these  divinities  in  the  still  and 
solemn  hour  of  midnight,  oppressed  with 
anxiety  and  care,  one  of  them  began  to  ad- 
dress him. 

"  We  are  commissioned,"  said  this  super- 
natural voice,  "  by  Apollo,  whose  oracle  you 
are  intending  to  consult  again,  to  give  you  the 
answer  that  you  desire,  without  requiring  you 
to  go  back  to  his  temple.  It  is  true  that  you 
have  erred  in  attempting  to  make  a  settlement 
in  Crete.  This  is  not  the  land  which  is  des- 
tined to  be  your  home.  You  must  leave  these 
shores,  and  continue  your  voyage.  The  land 
which  is  destined  to  receive  you  is  Italy,  a 
land  far  removed  from  this  spot,  and  your  way 
to  it  lies  over  wide  and  boisterous  seas.  Do 
not  be  discouraged,  however,  on  this  account, 


126  KOMULUS.  [.B.C.  1200. 

Effect  of  this  address.  Subsequent  adventure*. 

or  on  account  of  the  calamities  which  now  im- 
pend over  you.  You  will  be  prospered  in  the 
end.  You  will  reach  Italy  in  safety,  and  there 
you  will  lay  the  foundations  of  a  mighty  em- 
pire, which  in  days  to  corne  will  extend  its 
dominion  far  and  wide  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth.  Take  courage,  then,  and  embark 
once  more  in  your  ships  with  a  cheerful  and 
confident  heart.  You  are  safe,  and  in  the  end 
all  will  turn  out  well." 

The  strength  and  spirits  of  the  desponding 
adventurer  were  very  essentially  revived  by 
this  encouragement.  He  immediately  pre- 
pared to  obey  the  injunctions  which  had  been 
thus  divinely  communicated  to  him,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  half-built  city  was  abandoned, 
and  the  expedition  once  more  embarked  on 
board  the  fleet  and  proceeded  to  sea.  They 
met  in  their  subsequent  wanderings  with  a 
great  variety  of  adventures,  but  it  would  ex- 
tend this  portion  of  our  narrative  too  far,  to 
relate  them  all.  They  encountered  a  storm 
by  which  for  three  days  and  three  nights  they 
were  tossed  to  and  fro,  without  seeing  sun  01 
stars,  and  of  course  without  any  guidance 
whatever ;  and  during  all  this  time  they  were 
in  the  most  imminent  danger  of  being  over- 


B.C.1200.]     FLIGHT  OF  ^NEAS.  127 

Danger  of  shipwreck.  The  ljupie* . 

whelmed  and  destroyed  by  the  billows  which 
rolled  sublimely  and  frightfully  around  them. 
At  another  time,  having  landed  for  rest  and 
refreshment  among  a  group  of  Grecian  islands, 
they  were  attacked  by  the  ha/rpies,  birds  of 
prey  of  prodigious  size  and  most  offensive 
habits,  and  fierce  and  voracious  beyond  de- 
scription. The  harpies  were  celebrated,  in 
fact,  in  many  of  the  ancient  tales,  as  a  race 
of  beings  that  infested  certain  shores,  and 
often  teased  and  tormented  the  mariners  and 
adventurers  that  happened  to  come  among 
them.  Some  said,  however,  that  there  was 
not  a  race  of  such  beings,  but  only  two  or 
three  in  all,  and  they  gave  their  names.  And 
yet  different  narrators  gave  different  names, 
among  which  were  Ae'lopos,  Nicothoe,  Ocy- 
thog,  Ocypoae,  Celaeno,  Acholoe,  and  Ae'llo. 
Some  said  that  the  harpies  had  the  faces  and 
forms  of  women.  Others  described  them  as 
frightfully  ugly ;  but  all  agree  in  represent- 
ing them  as  voracious  beyond  description, 
always  greedily  devouring  every  thing  that 
they  could  get  within  reach  of  their  claws. 

These  fierce  monsters  flew  down  upor. 
JKne&B  and  his  party,  and  carried  away  the 
food  from  off  the  table  before  them ;  and  ever 


128  KOMULTTS.  [B.C.  1200 

jEneu  driven  away.  Danger*  at  ML  Etna. 

attacked  the  men  themselves.  The  men  then 
armed  themselves  with  swords,  secretly,  and 
waited  for  the  next  approach  of  the  harpies, 
intending  to  kill  them,  when  they  came  near. 
But  the  nimble  marauders  eluded  all  their 
blows,  and  escaped  with  their  plunder  as  be- 
fore. At  length  the  expedition  was  driven 
away  from  the  island  altogether,  by  these  rav- 
enous fowls,  and  when  they  were  embarking 
on  board  of  their  vessels,  the  leader  of  the 
harpies  perched  herself  upon  a  rock  overlook- 
ing the  scene,  and  in  a  human  voice  loaded 
^Eneas  and  his  companions,  as  they  went 
away,  with  taunts  and  execrations. 

The  expedition  passed  one  night  in  great 
terror  and  dread  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount 
Etna,  where  they  had  landed.  The  awful 
eruptions  of  smoke,  and  flame,  and  burning 
lava,  which  issued  at  midnight  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain, — the  thundering  sounds 
which  they  heard  rolling  beneath  them, 
through  the  ground,  and  the  dread  which  was 
inspired  in  their  minds  by  the  terrible  mon- 
sters that  dwelt  beneath  the  mountains,  as  tney 
supposed,  and  fed  the  fires,  all  combired  to 
impress  them  with  a  sense  of  unutterable  awe ; 
nsd  as  soon  as  the  light  of  the  morning  en 


B.C.  1200.J     FLIGHT  OF 


Th«  oue-eyed  giant*.  Polyphemiu 

abled  them  to  resume  their  course,  they  made 
all  haste  to  get  away  from  so  appalling  a  scene. 
At  another  time  they  touched  upon  a  coast 
which  was  inhabited  by  a  race  of  one-eyed 
giants,  —  monsters  of  enormous  magnitude  and 
of  remorseless  cruelty.  They  were  cannibals, 
—  feeding  on  the  bodies  of  men  whom  they 
killed  by  grasping  them  in  their  hands  and 
beating  them  against  the  rocks  which  formed 
the  sides  of  their  den.  Some  men  whom  one 
of  these  monsters,  named  Polyphemus,  had 
shut  up  in  his  cavern,  contrived  to  surprise 
their  keeper  in  his  sleep,  and  though  they 
were  wholly  unable  to  kill  him  on  account  of 
his  colossal  magnitude,  they  succeeded  in  put- 
ting out  his  eye,  and  ^Eneas  and  his  com- 
panions saw  the  blinded  giant,  as  they  passed 
along  the  coast,  wading  in  the  sea,  and  bath- 
ing his  wound.  He  was  guiding  his  footsteps 
as  he  walked,  by  means  of  the  trunk  of  a  tall 
pine  which  served  him  for  a  staff. 

At  length,  however,  after  the  lapse  of  a 
long  period  of  time,  and  after  meeting  with  a 
great  variety  of  adventures  to  which  we  can 
not  even  here  allude,  JEneas  and  his  party 
reached  the  shores  of  Italy,  at  the  point  which 
by  divine  intimations  had  been  pointed  out 
21—9 


130  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1200. 

Remarks  on  the  story  of  JEnenx. 

to  them  as  the  place  where  they   were  to 
.and.* 

The  story  of  the  life  and  adventures  of 
^Kneas,  which  we  have  given  in  this  and  in 
the  preceding  chapters,  is  a  faithful  summary 
of  the  narrative  which  the  poetic  historians 
of  those  days  recorded.  It  is,  of  course,  not 
to  be  relied  upon  as  a  narrative  of  facts  ;  but 
it  is  worthy  of  very  special  attention  by  every 
cultivated  mind  of  the  present  day,  from  the 
fact,  that  such  is  the  beauty,  the  grace,  the 
melody,  the  inimitable  poetic  perfection  with 
which  the  story  is  told,  in  the  language  in 
which  the  original  record  stands,  that  the  nar- 
rative has  made  a  more  deep,  and  wide- 
spread, and  lasting  impression  upon  the  hu- 
man mind  than  any  other  narrative  perhaps 
that  aver  was  penned. 

*  See  Map,  pa*a  184 


B.C.  1197.]     LANDING  IN  LATILM.        131 

Description  of  the  country  where  ./Eneas  landed. 


CHAPTE-R  YL 
THE  LANDING  IN  LATIUM. 

LATIUM  was  the  name  given  to  an  ancient 
province  of  Italy,  lying  south  of  the  Ti- 
ber. At  the  time  of  ^Eneas's  arrival  upon  the 
coast  it  was  an  independent  kingdom.  The 
name  of  the  king  who  reigned  over  it  at  this 
period  was  Latin  us. 

The  country  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber, 
where  the  city  of  Rome  afterward  arose,  was 
then  a  wild  but  picturesque  rural  region,  con- 
sisting of  hills  and  valleys,  occupied  by  shep- 
herds and  husbandmen,  but  with  nothing 
upon  it  whatever,  to  mark  it  as  the  site  of  a 
city.  The  people  that  dwelt  in  Latium  were 
shepherds  and  herdsmen,  though  there  was  a 
considerable  band  of  warriors  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  king.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
country  were  of  Greek  origin,  and  they  had 
brought  with  them  from  Greece,  when  they 
colonized  the  country,  such  rude  arts  as  were 
then  known.  They  had  the  use  of  Cadinus'a 
letters,  for  writing,  so  far  as  writing  was  em 


132  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1197 

The  landtag.  Mouth  of  the  Tiber.  Burning  of  th«  ship*. 

ployed  at  all  in  those  early  days.  They  were 
skillful  in  making  such  weapons  of  war,  and 
such  simple  instruments  of  music,  as  were 
known  at  the  time,  and  they  could  erect  build- 
ings, of  wood,  or  of  stone,  and  thus  con- 
structed such  dwellings  as  they  needed,  in  their 
towns,  and  walls  and  citadels  for  defence. 

JSneas  brought  his  fleet  into  the  mouth  of 
the  Tiber,  and  anchored  it  there.  He  him- 
Belf,  and  all  his  followers  were  thoroughly 
weary  of  their  wandering?,  and  hoped  that 
they  were  now  about  to  land  where  they 
should  find  a  permanent  abode.  The  number 
of  ships  and  men  that  had  formed  the  expedi- 
tion at  the  commencement  of  the  voyage,  was 
very  large  ;  but  it  had  been  considerably  di- 
minished by  the  various  misfortunes  and  acci- 
dents incident  to  such  an  enterprise,  and  tho 
remnant  that  was  left  longed  ardently  for  rest. 
Some  of  the  ships  took  fire,  and  were  burned 
at  their  moorings  in  the  Tiber,  immediately 
after  the  arrival  of  the  expedition.  It  was 
said  that  they  were  set  on  fire  by  the  wi  vea 
and  mothers  belonging  to  the  expedition, — 
who  wished,  by  destroying  the  ships,  to  ren- 
der it  impossible  for  the  fleet  to  go  to  so§ 
again. 


B.C.  1197. J     LANDING  IN  LATITJM.         133 

Italy  in  ancient  days.  An  embassy. 

However  this  may  be,  ^Eneas  was  very 
strongly  disposed  to  make  the  beautiful  region 
which  he  now  saw  before  him,  his  final  home. 
Die  country,  in  every  aspect  of  it,  was  allur- 
ing in  the  highest  degree.  Level  plains,  va- 
ried here  and  there  by  gentle  elevations,  ex- 
tended around  him,  all  adorned  with  groves 
and  flowers,  and  exhibiting  a  luxuriance  in 
the  verdure  of  the  grass  and  in  the  foliage  of 
the  trees  that  was  perfectly  enchanting  to  the 
sea-weary  eyes  of  his  company  of  ma  riners. 
In  the  distance,  blue  and  beautiful  morntains 
bounded  the  horizon,  and  a  soft,  warn  sum- 
mer haze  floated  over  the  whole  scene,  bath- 
ing the  landscape  in  a  rich  mellow  lij^ht  pe- 
culiar to  Italian  skies. 

As  soon  as  the  disembarkation  was  eTected, 
lines  of  encampment  were  marked  out,  at  a 
suitable  place  on  the  shore,  and  such  simple 
fortifications  as  were  necessary  for  defence  in 
such  a  case,  were  thrown  up.  JEne^s  dis- 
patched one  party  in  boats  to  explore  rhe  va- 
rious passages  and  channels  which  for  ;ied  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  perhaps  in  order  to  be 
prepared  to  make  good  his  escape  a^ain,  to 
sea,  in  case  of  any  sudden  or  extraordinary 
danger.  Another  party  were  employed  in 


134  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1197. 


Sacrifices  offered. 


Map  of  Latium. 


erecting  altars,  and  preparing  for  sacrifices 
and  other  religious  celebrations,  designed  on 
the  part  of  ^Sneas  to  propitiate  the  deities  of 
the  place,  and  to  inspire  his  men  with  reli- 
gious confidence  and  trust.  He  also  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  organize  a  party  of  re- 
connoiterers  who  were  to  proceed  into  the  in- 
terior, to  explore  the  country  and  to  commu- 
nicate with  the  inhabitants. 


MAP  OF  LATIUM. 


B.C.  1197.]     LANDING  IN  LATIUM.         135 

Reconnoitring  the  country.  King  Latlntis. 


Hie  party  of  reconnoiterers  thus  sent  out 
followed  up  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  made 
excursions  in  various  directions  across  the 
fields  and  plains.  They  found  that  the  coun 
try  was  everywhere  verdant  and  beautiful, 
and  that  it  was  covered  in  the  interior  with 
scattered  hamlets  and  towns.  They  learned 
the  name  of  the  king,  and  also  that  of  the  city 
which  he  made  his  capitol.  Latinus  himself 
at  the  same  time,  heard  the  tidings  of  the  ar- 
rival of  these  strangers.  His  first  impulse 
was  immediately  to  make  an  onset  upon  them 
with  all  his  forces,  and  drive  them  away  from 
his  shores.  On  farther  inquiry,  however,  he 
learned  that  they  were  in  a  distressed  and 
suffering  condition,  and  from  the  descriptions 
which  were  given  him  of  their  dress  and  de 
meanor  he  concluded  that  they  were  Greeks. 
This  idea  awakened  in  his  mind  some  appre- 
hension ;  for  the  Greeks  were  then  well  known 
throughout  the  world,  and  were  regarded 
everywhere  as  terrible  enemies.  Besides  his 
fears,  his  pity  and  compassion  were  awakened, 
too,  in  some  degree ;  and  he  was  on  the  whole 
for  a  time  quite  at  a  loss  to  know  what  course 
to  pursue  in  respect  to  the  intruders. 

In  the  mean  time  JSneas  concluded  to  send 


136  RDMULUS.  [B.C.  1197. 


The  embassy  come  to  the  capital. 


ED  embassy  to  Latirms  to  explain  the  circum- 
stances under  which  he  had  been  induced  to 
land  so  large  a  party  on  the  Italian  coast 
Bfe  accordingly  designated  a  considerable 
number  of  men  to  form  this  embassy,  and 
giving  to  some  of  the  number  his  instructions 
as  to  what  they  were  to  say  to  Latinus,  he 
committed  to  the  hands  of  the  others  a  large 
number  of  gifts  which  they  were  to  carry  and 
present  to  him.  These  gifts  consisted  of  weap- 
ons elaborately  finished,  vessels  of  gold  or 
silver,  embroidered  garments,  and  such  other 
articles  as  were  customarily  employed  in 
those  days  as  propitiatory  offerings  in  such 
emergencies.  The  embassy  when  all  was  ar- 
ranged proceeded  to  the  Latian  capital. 

When  they  came  in  sight  of  it  they  found 
that  it  was  a  spacious  city,  with  walls  around 
it,  and  turrets  and  battlements  within,  rising 
here  and  there  above  the  roofs  of  the  dwel- 
lings. Outside  the  gates  a  portion  of  the 
population  were  assembled  busily  engaged  in 
games,  and  in  various  gymnastic  and  eques- 
trian performances.  Some  were  driving  fu- 
riously in  chariots  around  great  circles  marked 
out  for  the  course.  Others  were  practicing 
feats  of  horsemanship,  or  running  races  upOD 


B.C.  1197.]     LANDING  IN  LATIUM.        137 

The  embassadora  are  admitted  to  an  audience. 

fleet  chargers.  Others  still  were  practicing 
with  darts,  or  bows  and  arrows,  or  javelins  ; 
either  to  test  and  improve  their  individual 
skill,  or  else  to  compete  with  each  other  for 
victory  or  for  a  prize.  The  embassadors 
paused  when  they  came  in  view  of  this  scene, 
and  waited  until  intelligence  could  be  sent  in 
to  the  monarch,  informing  him  of  their  ar- 
n'val. 

Latinus  decided  immediately  to  admit  the 
embassy  to  an  audience,  and  they  were  ac- 
cordingly conducted  into  the  city.  They  were 
led,  after  entering  by  the  gates,  through  va- 
rious streets,  until  they  came  at  length  to  a 
large  public  edifice,  which  seemed  to  be,  at 
the  same  time,  palace,  senate-house,  and  cita- 
del. There  were  to  be  seen,  in  the  avenues 
which  led  to  this  edifice,  statues  of  old  war 
riors,  and  various  other  martial  decorations. 
There  were  many  old  trophies  of  former  vic- 
tories preserved  here,  such  as  arms,  and  char- 
iots, and  prows  of  ships,  and  crests,  and  great 
bolts  and  bars  taken  from  the  gates  of  con- 
quered cities, — all  old,  war-worn,  and  now 
useless,  but  preserved  as  memorials  of  brav 
ery  and  conquest.  The  Trojan  embassy,  pass- 
ing through  and  among  these  trophies,  as  they 


13S  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  119T. 

Their  address  to  king  Latinus. 

stood  or  hung  in  the  halls  and  vestibules  of 
the  palace,  were  at  length  ushered  into  the 
presence  of  Latinus  the  king. 

Here,  after  the  usual  ceremonies  of  intro- 
duction were  performed,  they  delivered  the 
message  which  ^dEneas  had  intrusted  to  them. 
They  declared  that  they  had  not  landed  on 
Latinus's  shore  with  any  hostile  intent.  They 
had  been  driven  away,  they  said,  from  theii 
own  homes,  by  a  series  of  dire  calamities, 
which  had  ended,  at  last,  in  the  total  destruc- 
tion of  their  native  city.  Since  then  they 
had  been  driven  to  and  fro  at  the  mercy  of 
the  winds  and  waves,  exposed  to  every  con 
ceivable  degree  of  hardship  and  danger. 
Their  landing  finally  in  the  dominions  of  La- 
tinus in  Italy,  was  not,  they  confessed,  wholly 
undesigned,  for  Latium  had  been  divinely 
indicated  to  them,  on  their  way,  as  the  place 
destined  by  the  decrees  of  heaven  for  their 
final  home.  Following  these  indications,  they 
had  sought  the  shores  of  Italy  and  the  mouths 
of  the  Tiber,  and  having  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing them,  had  landed ;  and  now  ^iieas,  their 
commander,  desired  of  the  king  that  he  would 
allow  them  to  settle  in  his  land  in  peace,  and 
that  he  would  set  apart  a  portion  of  his  terri 


B.C.  1197.]     LANDING  IN  LATIUM.         139 

Lntinui  accedes  to  yEiieas'g  request*. 

tory  for  them,  and  give  them  leave  to  build  a 
city. 

The  effect  produced  upon  the  mind  of  La~ 
tinus  by  the  appearance  of  these  erabassadoi-b, 
and  by  the  communication  which  they  made 
to  him,  proved  to  be  highly  favorable.  He 
received  the  presents,  too,  which  they  had 
brought  him,  in  a  very  gracious  manner,  and 
appeared  to  be  much  pleased  with  them.  He 
had  heard,  as  would  seem,  rumors  of  the  de 
struction  of  Troy,  and  of  the  departure  of 
^Eueas's  squadron  ;  for  a  long  time  had  been 
consumed  by  the  wanderings  of  the  expedi- 
tion along  the  Mediterranean  shores,  so  that 
some  years  had  now  elapsed  since  the  de- 
struction of  Troy  and  the  first  sailing  of  the 
fleet.  In  a  word,  Latinus  soon  determined  to 
accede  to  the  proposals  of  his  visitors,  and  he 
concluded  with  JEneas  a  treaty  of  alliance 
and  friendship.  He  designated  a  spot  where 
the  new  city  might  be  built,  and  all  things 
were  thus  amicably  settled. 

There  was  one  circumstance  which  exerted 
»  powerful  influence  in  promoting  the  estab- 
lishment of  friendly  relations  between  Latinu* 
and  the  Trojans,  and  that  was,  that  Latinus 
was  engaged,  at  the  time  of  ^Eneas's  arrival, 


140  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1197. 

Proposal  of  marriage.  Lavtula  and  Turn  at. 

in  a  war  with  the  Rutulians,  a  nation  that 
inhabited  a  country  lying  south  of  Latium 
and  on  the  coast.  Latinus  thought  that  by 
making  the  Trojans  his  friends,  he  should  be 
able  to  enlist  them  as  his  auxiliaries  in  this 
war.  ^Eneas  made  no  objection  to  this,  and 
it  was  accordingly  agreed  that  the  Trojans, 
in  return  for  being  received  as  friends,  and 
allowed  to  settle  in  Latium,  were  to  join  with 
their  protectors  in  defending  the  country,  and 
were  especially  to  aid  them  in  prosecuting 
the  existing  war. 

In  a  short  time  a  still  closer  alliance  was 
formed  between  ^Eneas  and  Latinus,  an  alli- 
ance which  in  the  end  resulted  in  the  acces- 
sion of  ^Eneas  to  the  throne  of  Latinus.  Lati- 
nus had  a  daughter  named  Lavinia.  She  was 
an  only  child,  and  was  a  princess  of  extraor- 
dinary merit  and  beauty.  The  name  of  the 
queen,  her  mother,  the  wife  of  Latinus,  was 
Amata.  Amata  had  intended  her  daughter 
k  be  the  wife  of  Turnus,  a  young  prince  of 
great  character  and  promise,  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  Latinus's  court.  Turnus  was, 
in  fact,  a  distant  relative  of  Amata,  and  the 
plan  of  the  queen  was  that  he  should  marry 
Lavinia,  and  in  the  end  succeed  with  her,  t« 


B.C.  1197.]     LANDING  IN  LATIUM.         141 

The  anger  of  Turnua  at  being  set  aside. 

the  throne  of  Latinus.  Latiuus  himself  had 
not  entered  into  this  scheme ;  and  when  clos 
ing  his  negotiations  with  JEneas,  it  seemed  to 
him  that  it  would  be  well  to  seal  and  secure 
he  adherence  of  ^Eneas  to  his  cause  by  offer- 
ing him  his  daughter  Lavinia  for  his  bride 
^Eneas  was  very  willing  to  accede  to  this  pro- 
posal. "What  the  wishes  of  Lavinia  herself 
were  in  respect  to  the  arrangement,  it  is  not 
very  well  known;  nor  were  her  wishes,  ac- 
cording to  the  ideas  that  prevailed  in  those 
times,  of  any  consequence  whatever.  The 
plan  was  arranged,  and  the  nuptials  were  soon 
to  be  celebrated.  Turnus,  when  he  found 
that  he  was  to  be  superseded,  left  the  court 
of  Latinus,  and  went  away  out  of  the  country 
in  a  rage. 

^Eneas  and  his  followers  seemed  now  to 
have  come  to  the  end  of  all  their  troubles. 
They  were  at  last  happily  established  in  a 
fruitful  land,  surrounded  by  powerful  friends, 
and  about  to  enter  apparently  upon  a  long 
career  of  peaceful  and  prosperous  industry. 
They  immediately  engaged  with  great  ardor 
iu  the  work  of  building  their  town.  ^Eneas 
nad  intended  to  have  named  it  Troy,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  ancient  city  now  no  mow* 


142  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1197 

Situation  of  the  Trqfan  territory.  I*Tinlnm. 

But,  in  view  of  his  approaching  marriage  will; 
Lavinia,  he  determined  to  change  this  design, 
and,  in  honor  of  her,  to  name  the  new  capital 
Lavinium. 

The  territory  which  had  been  assigned  tc 
the  Trojans  by  Latinus  was  in  the  south-west- 
ern part  of  Latium,  near  the  coast,  and  of 
course  it  was  on  the  confines  of  the  country 
of  the  Rutulians.  Turnus,  when  he  left 
Latium,  went  over  to  the  Rutulians,  deter- 
mining, in  his  resentment  against  Latirms  for 
having  given  Lavinia  to  his  rival,  to  join  them 
in  the  war.  The  Rutulians  made  him  their 
leader,  and  he  soon  advanced  at  the  head  of 
a  great  army  across  the  frontier,  toward  the 
new  city  of  Lavinium.  Thus  ./Eneas  found 
himself  threatened  with  a  very  formidable 
danger. 

Nor  was  this  all.  For  just  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war  with  Turnus,  an  ex- 
traordinary train  of  circumstances  occurred 
which  resulted  in  alienating  the  Latins  them- 
selves from  their  new  ally,  and  in  leaving 
^Eneas  consequently  to  sustain  the  shock  of 
the  contest  with  Turnus  and  his  Bntuliane 
alone.  It  would  naturally  be  supposed  that 
the  alliance  between  Latinus  and  JSneae 


B.C.  1197.]    LANDING  IN  LATIUM.        143 


The  Btorjr  of  Sylvia't  stag. 


would  not  be  very  favorably  regarded  by  the 
common  people  of  Latium.  They  would,  on 
the  other  hand,  naturally  look  with  much 
jealousy  and  distrust  on  a  company  of  foreign 
intruders,  admitted  by  what  they  would  be 
very  likely  to  consider  the  capricious  partial- 
ity of  their  king,  to  a  share  of  their  country. 
This  jealousy  and  distrust  was,  for  a  time, 
suppressed  and  concealed ;  but  the  animosity 
oniy  acquired  strength  and  concentration  by 
being  restrained,  and  at  length  an  event  oc- 
curred which  caused  it  to  break  forth  with 
uncontrollable  fury.  The  circumstances  were 
these  : 

There  was  a  man  in  Latinm  named  Tyr- 
rheus,  who  held  the  office  of  royal  herdsman. 
He  lived  in  his  hut  on  some  of  the  domains 
of  Latinus,  and  had  charge  of  the  flocks  and 
herds  belonging  to  the  king.  He  had  twc 
sons,  and  likewise  a  daughter.  The  daughter's 
name  was  Sylvia.  The  two  boys  had  one  day 
succeeded  in  making  prisoner  of  a  young  stag, 
which  they  found  in  the  woods  with  its  mother/ 
It  was  extremely  young  when  they  captured 
it,  and  they  brought  it  home  as  a  great  prize. 
They  fed  it  with  milk  until  it  was  old  enough 
to  take  other  food,  and  as  it  grew  up  accu» 


144  KOMTJLUS.  [B.C.  1197 

Aflcaniiu  shooU  the  staff. 

tomed  to  their  hands,  it  was  very  tame  and 
docile,  and  became  a  great  favorite  with  all 
the  family.  Sylvia  loved  and  played  with  it 
continually.  She  kept  it  always  in  trim  .ay 
washing  it  in  a  fountain,  and  combing  and 
smoothing  its  hair,  and  she  amused  herself  by 
adorning  it  with  wreaths,  and  garlands,  and 
such  other  decorations  as  her  sylvan  resources 
could  command. 

One  day  when  Ascanius,  ^Eneas's  son,  who 
had  now  grown  to  be  a  young  man,  and  who 
seems  to  have  been  characterized  by  a  full 
share  of  the  ardent  and  impulsive  energy  be- 
longing to  his  years,  was  returning  from  the 
chase,  he  happened  to  pass  by  the  place 
where  the  herdsman  lived.  Ascanius  was  fol- 
lowed by  his  dogs,  and  he  had  his  bow  and 
arrows  in  his  hand.  As  he  was  thus  passing 
along  a  copse  of  wood,  near  a  brook,  the  dogs 
came  suddenly  upon  Sylvia's  stag.  The  con- 
fiding animal,  unconscious  of  any  danger,  had 
strayed  away  from  the  herdsman's  grounds  to 
this  grove,  and  had  gone  down  to  the  brook 
to  drink.  The  dogs  immediately  sprar  g  upon 
him,  in  full  cry.  Ascanius  followed,  drawing 
at  the  same  time  an  arrow  from  his  quiver 
and  fitting  it  to  the  bow.  As  soon  as  he  came 


21-10 


B.C.  1197.]     LANDING  IN  LATIUM.         147 

The  resentment  of  Sylvia's  brothers. 

in  sight  of  the  stag,  he  let  fly  his  arrow.  The 
arrow  pierced  the  poor  fugitive  in  the  side, 
and  inflicted  a  dreadful  wound.  It  did  not, 
however,  bring  him  down.  The  stag  bounded 
on  down  the  valley  toward  his  home,  as  if  tc 
seek  protection  from  Sylvia.  He  came  rush- 
ing into  the  house,  marking  his  way  with 
blood,  ran  to  the  covert  which  Sylvia  had  pro 
rided  for  his  resting-place  at  night,  ana 
crouching  down  there  he  filled  the  whole 
dwelling  with  piteous  bleatings  and  cries. 

As  soon  as  Tyrrheus,  the  father  of  Sylvia, 
and  the  two  young  men,  her  brothers,  knew 
who  it  was  that  had  thus  wantonly  wounded 
their  favorite,  they  were  filled  with  indigna- 
tion and  rage.  They  went  out  and  aroused 
the  neighboring  peasantry,  who  very  easily 
caught  the  spirit  of  resentment  and  revenge 
which  burned  in  the  bosoms  of  Tyrrheus  and 
his  sons.  They  armed  themselves  with  clubs, 
firebrands,  scythes,  and  such  other  rustic 
weapons  as  came  to  hand,  and  rushed  forth, 
resolved  to  punish  the  overbearing  insolence 
of  their  foreign  visitors,  in  the  most  summary 
manner. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Trojan  youth,  having 
heard  the  tidings  of  this  disturbance,  began  to 


148  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1197 

Sadden  outbreak.  Death  of  Almon.  Great  excitement. 

gather  hastily,  but  in  great  numbers,  to  defend 
Ascanius.  The  parties  on  both  sides  were 
headstrong,  and  highly  excited ;  and  before 
any  of  the  older  and  more  considerate  chief 
tains  could  interfere,  a  very  serious  conflicl 
ensued.  One  of  the  sons  of  Tyrrheus  waa 
killed.  He  was  pierced  in  the  throat  by  an 
arrow,  and  fell  and  died  immediately.  His 
name  was  Almon.  He  was  but  a  boy,  or  at 
all  events  had  not  yet  arrived  at  years  of  ma- 
turity, and  his  premature  and  sudden  death 
added  greatly  to  the  prevailing  excitement. 
Another  man  too  was  killed.  At  length  the 
conflict  was  brought  to  an  end  for  the  time 
but  the  excitement  and  the  exasperation  of 
the  peasantry  were  extreme.  They  carried  the 
two  dead  bodies  in  procession  to  the  capital, 
to  exhibit  them  to  Latinus ;  and  they  de- 
manded, in  the  most  earnest  and  determined 
manner,  that  he  should  immediately  make 
war  upon  the  whole  Trojan  horde,  and  drive 
them  back  into  the  sea,  whence  they  came. 

Latinus  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  with- 
gtand  this  torrent.  He  remained  firm  for  a 
time,  and  made  every  exertion  in  his  power  to 
quell  the  excitement  and  to  pacify  the  minds 
of  his  people.  But  all  was  in  vain.  Public 


B.C.  1196.J     LANDINO  IN  LATIUM. 


Preparation  for  war. 


sentiment  turned  hopelessly  against  the  Tro- 
jans, and  ./Eneas  soon  found  himself  shut  up 
ii;  his  city,  surrounded  with  enemies,  and  left 
ic  his  fate.  Turn  us  was  the  leader  of  these  foes. 

He,  however,  did  not  despair.  Both  parties 
began  to  prepare  vigorously  for  war.  ^Eneas 
himself  went  away  with  a  few  followers  to 
some  of  the  neighboring  kingdoms,  to  get  sue 
cor  from  them.  Neighboring  states  are  almost 
always  jealous  of  each  other,  and  are  easily 
induced  to  take  part  against  each  other,  when 
involved  in  foreign  wars.  ./Eneas  found  sev- 
eral of  the  Italian  princes  who  were  ready  to 
aid  him,  and  he  returned  to  his  camp  with 
considerable  reinforcements,  and  with  prom- 
ises of  more.  The  war  soon  broke  out,  and 
was  waged  for  a  long  time  with  great  deter- 
mination on  both  sides  and  with  varied  suc- 
cess. 

Latinus,  who  was  now  somewhat  advanced 
in  life,  and  had  thus  passed  beyond  the  period 
of  ambition  and  love  of  glcry,  and  who  be- 
sides must  have  felt  that  the  interests  of  hia 
family  were  now  indissolubly  bound  up  in 
those  of  ./Eneas  and  Lavinia,  watched  the 
progress  of  the  contest  with  a  very  uneasy  and 
anxious  mind.  He  found  that  for  a  time  at 


160  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  1196 

The  Trqjtni  gradually  gain  ground. 

least  it  would  be  out  of  his  power  to  do  anj 
thing  effectual  to  terminate  the  war,  so  he  al- 
lowed it  to  take  its  course,  and  contented  him 
self  with  waiting  patiently,  in  hopes  that  an 
occasion  which  would  allow  of  his  interposing 
with  some  hope  of  success,  would  sooner  or 
later  come. 

Such  an  occasion  did  come ;  for  after  the 
war  had  been  prosecuted  for  some  time  it  was 
found,  that  notwithstanding  the  disadvantages 
under  which  the  Trojans  labored,  they  were 
rather  gaining  than  losing  ground.  There 
were  in  fact  some  advantages  as  well  as  some 
disadvantages  in  their  position.  They  formed 
a  compact  and  concentrated  body,  while  their 
enemies  constituted  a  scattered  population, 
spreading  in  a  more  or  less  exposed  condition 
over  a  considerable  extent  of  country.  They 
had  neither  flocks  nor  herds,  nor  any  other 
property  for  their  enemies  to  plunder,  while 
the  Rutulians  and  Latins  had  great  posses- 
sions, both  of  treasure  in  the  towns  and  of 
rural  produce  in  the  country,  so  that  when  the 
Trojans  gained  the  victory  over  them  in  any 
gaily  or  foray,  they  always  came  home  laden 
with  booty,  as  well  as  exultant  in  triumph  and 
pride  ;  while  if  the  Latins  conquered  the  Tro- 


B.C.  1196.]     LANDING  IN  LATIUM.        151 

Dealia  for  potoe.  Tonra  OpfMMM  Ik 

jans  in  a  battle,  they  had  nothing  but  the 
empty  honor  to  reward  them.  The  Trojans, 
too,  were  hardy,  enduring,  and  indomitable. 
The  alternative  with  them  was  victory  or  de- 
struction. Their  protracted  voyage,  and  the 
long  experience  of  hardships  and  sufferings 
which  they  had  undergone,  had  inured  them 
to  privation  and  toil,  so  that  they  proved  to 
the  Latins  and  Rutulians  to  be  very  obstinate 
and  formidable  foes. 

At  length,  as  usual  in  such  cases,  indica- 
tions gradually  appeared  that  both  sides  be- 
gan to  be  weary  of  the  contest.  Latinus 
availed  himself  of  a  favorable  occasion  which 
offered,  to  propose  that  embassadors  should  be 
sent  to  ^Eneas  with  terms  of  peace.  Turnus 
was  very  much  opposed  to  any  such  plan.  He 
was  earnestly  desirous  of  continuing  to  prose- 
cute the  war.  The  other  Lathi  chieftains  re- 
proached him  then  with  being  the  cause  of  all 
the  calamities  which  they  were  enduring,  and 
urged  the  unreasonableness  on  his  part  of  de- 
siring any  longer  to  protract  the  sufferings  ot 
his  unhappy  country,  merely  to  gratify  hia 
own  private  resentment'and  revenge.  Turnua 
ought  not  any  longer  to  ask,  they  said,  that 
others  should  fight  in  his  quarrel ;  and  they 


152  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1196 

A  proposal  for  single  combat. 

proposed  that  he  should  himself  decide  the 
question  between  him  and  JEneas,  by  chal 
lenging  the  Trojan  leader  to  fight  him   in 
single  combat. 

Latinus  strongly  disapproved  of  this  propo- 
sal. He  was  weary  of  war  and  bloodshed, 
and  wished  that  the  conflict  might  wholly 
cease ;  and  he  urged  that  peace  should  be 
made  with  ^Eneas,  and  that  his  original  de- 
sign of  giving  him  Lavinia  for  his  wife  should 
be  carried  into  execution.  For  a  moment 
Turnus  seemed  to  hesitate,  but  in  looking  to- 
wards Lavinia  who,  with  Amata  her  mother, 
was  present  at  this  consultation,  he  saw,  or 
thought  he  saw,  in  the  agitation  which  she 
manifested,  proofs  of  her  love  for  him,  and 
indications  of  a  wish  on  her  part  that  he  and 
not  ^Eneas  should  win  her  for  his  bride. 

He  accordingly  without  any  farther  hesita- 
tio^  or  delay  agreed  to  the  proposal  of  the 
counsellor.  The  challenge  to  single  combat 
was  given  and  accepted,  and  on  the  appointed 
day  the  ground  was  marked  out  for  the  duel, 
and  both  armies  were  drawn  up  upon  the  field, 
to  be  spectators  of  the  fight. 

After  the  usual  preparations  the  conflict  be- 
gan ;  but,  as  frequently  occurs  in  such  cases. 


B.C.  1196.J     LANDING  IN  LAIIUM.         153 

Result  of  the  combat  Marriage  of  .Ataau. 

it  was  not  long  confined  to  the  single  pair  of 
combatants  with  which  it  coma  en  ced.  Others 
were  gradually  drawn  in,  and  the  duel  be- 
came in  the  end  a  general  battle.  ^Eneas  and 
the  Trojans  were  victorious,  and  both  Latinne 
and  Turnus  were  slain.  This  ended  the  war. 
^Eneas  married  Lavinia,  and  thenceforth 
reigned  with  her  over  the  kingdom  of  Latium 
as  its  rightful  sovereign. 

^Eneas  lived  several  years  after  this,  ana 
has  the  credit,  in  history,  of  having  managed 
the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  in  a  very  wise  and 
provident  manner.  He  had  brought  with  him 
from  Troy  the  arts  and  the  learning  of  the 
Greeks,  and  these  he  introduced  to  his  people 
eo  as  greatly  to  improve  their  condition.  He 
introduced,  too,  many  ceremonies  of  religious 
worship,  which  had  prevailed  in  the  countries 
from  which  he  had  come,  or  in  those  which 
he  had  visited  in  his  long  voyage.  These 
ceremonies  became  at  last  so  firmly  establish- 
ed among  the  religious  observances  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Latium,  that  they  descended 
from  generation  to  generation,  and  in  subse- 
quent years  exercised  great  influence,  in 
modeling  the  religious  faith  and  worship  of 
the  Roman  people.  They  thus  continued  to 


164  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1190 


JEnaas  drowned  In  the  Numiciug. 


be  practiced  for  many  ages,  and,  through  the 
literature  of  the  Romans,  became  subsequent- 
ly known  and  celebrated  throughout  the  whole 
civilized  world. 

At  length,  in  a  war  which  JEneas  was  wag- 
ing with  the  Rutulians,  he  was  once,  after  a 
battle,  reduced  to  great  extremity  of  danger, 
and  in  order  to  escape  from  his  pursuers  he 
attempted  to  swim  across  a  stream,  and  was 
drowned.  The  name  of  this  stream  was 
Numicius.  It  flowed  into  the  sea  a  little  north 
of  Lavinium.  It  must  have  been  larger  in 
former  times  than  it  is  now,  for  travelers  who 
visit  it  at  the  present  day  say  that  it  is  now 
only  a  little  rivulet,  in  which  it  would  be 
almost  impossible  for  any  one  to  be  drowned. 

The  Trojan  followers  of  ^Eneas  concealed 
his  body,  and  spread  the  story  among  the 
people  of  Latium  that  he  had  been  taken  up 
to  heaven.  The  people  accordingly,  having 
before  considered  their  king  as  the  son  of  a 
goddess,  now  looked  upon  him  as  himself 
divine.  They  accordingly  erected  altars  to 
him  in  Latium,  and  thenceforth  worshiped 
him  as  a  God. 


B.C.  800.]          KHEA  SILVIA.  155 

RbM  SUrU.  The  order  ot  rwUl  virgin* 


CHAPTEB  VII. 
KHEA  SILVIA. 

RHEA  SILVIA,  the  mother  of  Komulus, 
was  a  vestal  virgin,  who  lived  in  the 
kingdom  of  Latium  about  four  hundred  years 
after  the  death  of  ^Eneas.  A  vestal  virgin 
was  a  sort  of  priestess,  who  was  required,  like 
the  nuns  of  modern  times,  to  live  in  seclusion 
from  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  devote  their 
time  wholly  and  without  reserve  to  the  ser- 
vices of  religion.  They  were,  like  nuns, 
especially  prohibited  from  all  association  and 
intercourse  with  men. 

^Eneas  himself  is  said  to  have  founded  the 
order  of  vestal  virgins,  and  to  have  instituted 
the  rites  and  services  which  were  committed 
to  their  charge.  These  rites  and  services  were 
in  honor  of  Vesta,  who  was  the  goddess  of 
Home.  The  fireside  has  been,  in  all  ages  and 
countries,  the  center  and  the  symbol  of  home, 
and  the  worship  of  Vesta  consisted,  accord- 
ingly, of  ceremonies  designed  to  dignify  and 
exalt  the  fireside  in  the  estimation  of  the 


156  ROMOLUS.  [B.C.  800 

The  ancient  (boos.  Arrangement  for  flra. 

people.  Instead  of  the  linages  and  altars 
which  were  used  in  the  worship  of  the  other 
deities,  a  representation  of  a  jvre-sta/nd  was 
made,  such  as  were  used  in  the  houses  of  those 
days ;  and  upon  this  sacred  stand  a  fire  was 
kept  continually  burning,  and  various  rites 
and  ceremonies  were  performed  in  connection 
with  it,  in  honor  of  the  domestic  virtues  and 
enjoyments,  of  which  it  was  the  type  and 
symbol. 

These  fire-stands,  as  used  by  the  ancients, 
«vere  very  different  from  the  fire-places  of 
jiodern  times,  which- are  recesses  in  chimneys 
with  flues  above  for  the  passage  of  the  smoke. 
The  household  fires  of  the  ancients  were 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  apartment,  on  a 
hearth  or  supporter  called  the  focus.  This 
hearth  was  made  sometimes  of  stone  or  brick, 
and  sometimes  of  bronze.  The  smoke  escaped 
above,  through  openings  in  the  roof.  This 
would  seem,  according  to  the  ideas  of  the 
present  day,  a  very  comfortless  arrangement; 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  climate 
in  those  countries  was  mild,  and  there  was 
accordingly  but  little  occasion  for  fire ;  and 
then,  besides,  such  were  the  habits  of  the 
people  at  this  period  of  the  world,  that  not 


B.C.  80U.J         It  HE  A  SILVIA.  157 

N«tar«  of  the  oeremonle*  Instituted  in  honor  of  VMta. 

only  their  pursuits  and  avocations,  but  far  the 
greater  portion  of  their  pleasures,  called  them 
into  the  open  air.  Still,  the  fire-place  was, 
with  them  as  with  us,  the  type  and  emblem 
of  domestic  life ;  and  accordingly,  in  paying 
divine  honors  to  Vesta,  the  goddess  of  Home, 
they  set  up  a/bctAs,  or  fire-place,  in  her  tem- 
ple, instead  of  an  altar,  and  in  the  place  of 
sacrifices  they  simply  kept  burning  upon  it 
a  perpetual  fire. 

The  priestesses  who  had  charge  of  the  fire 
were  selected  for  this  purpose  when  they  were 
children.  It  was  required  that  they  should 
be  from  six  to  ten  years  of  age.  When  chosen 
they  were  consecrated  to  the  service  of  Yesta 
by  the  most  solemn  ceremonies,  and  as  vir 
gins,  were  bound  under  awful  penalties,  to 
spotless  purity  of  life.  As  the  perpetual  fire 
in  the  temple  of  Yesta  represented  the  fire  of 
the  domestic  hearth,  so  these  vestal  virgins 
represented  the  maidens  by  whom  the  domes- 
tic service  of  a  household  is  performed  ;  and 
the  life  of  seclusion  and  celibacy  which  was 
required  of  them  was  the  emblem  of  the  in- 
nocence and  purity  which  the  institution  of 
the  family  is  expressly  intended  to  guard. 
The  duties  of  the  vestals  were  analogous  tc 


158  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  8UO. 

Her  vestal  virgin*.  Tb«lr  dutlMk 

those  of  domestic  maidens.  'They  were  to 
watch  the  fire,  and  never  to  allow  it  to  go  out 
They  were  to  perform  various  rites  and  cere- 
monies connected  with  the  worship  of  Yesta 
And  to  keep  the  interior  of  the  temple  and  the 
shrines  pure  and  clean,  and  the  sacred  vessels 
and  utensils  arranged,  as  in  a  well-ordered 
household.  In  a  word,  they  were  to  be,  in 
purity,  in  industry,  in  neatness,  in  order,  and 
in  patience  and  vigilance,  the  perfect  imper- 
sonation of  maidenly  virtue  as  exhibited  in  its 
own  proper  field  of  duty  at  home. 

The  most  awful  penalties  were  visited  upon 
the  head  of  any  vestal  virgin  who  was  guilty 
of  violating  her  vows.  There  is  no  direct  evi- 
dence what  these  penalties  were  at  this  early 
period,  but  .in  subsequent  years,  at  Rome, 
where  the  vestal  virgins  resided,  the  man  who 
was  guilty  of  enticing  one  of  them  away  from 
her  duty  was  publicly  scourged  to  death  in 
the  Roman  forum.  For  the  vestal  herself, 
thus  led  away,  a  cell  was  dug  beneath  the 
ground,  and  vaulted  over.  A  pit  led  down  to 
this  subterranean  dungeon,  entering  it  by  one 
side.  In  the  dungeon  itself  there  was  placed 
a  table,  a  lamp,  and  a  little  food.  The  descent 
was  by  a  ladder  which  passed  down  through 


B.C.  800.J         RHEA  SILVIA.  159 

Twribto  punishment  for  ihoM  who  TioUtsd  their  TOWS. 

the  pit.  The  place  of  this  terrible  preparation 
for  punishment  was  near  one  of  the  gates  of 
the  city,  and  when  all  was  ready  the  unhappy 
vestal  was  brought  forth,  at  the  head  of  a 
great  public  procession, — she  herself  being 
attended  by  her  friends  and  relatives,  all 
mourning  and  lamenting  her  fate  by  the  way. 
The  ceremony,  in  a  word,  was  in  all  respects 
a  funeral,  except  that  the  person  who  was  to 
be  buried  was  still  alive.  On  arriving  at  the 
spot,  the  wretched  criminal  was  conducted 
down  the  ladder  and  placed  upon  the  couch 
in  the  cell  The  assistants  who  performed 
this  service  then  returned;  the  ladder  was 
drawn  up ;  earth  was  thrown  in  until  the  pit 
was  filled ;  and  the  erring  girl  was  left  to  her 
fate,  which  was,  when  her  lamp  had  burned 
out,  and  her  food  was  expended,  to  starve  by 
slow  degrees,  and  die  at  last  in  darkness  and 
despair. 

If  we  would  do  full  justice  to  the  ancient 
founders  of  civilization  and  empire,  we  should 
probably  consider  their  enshrinement  of 
Vesta,  and  the  contriving  of  the  ceremonies 
and  observances  which  were  instituted  in 
honor  of  her,  not  as  the  setting  up  of  an  idol 
01  false  god,  for  worship,  in  the  sense  in 


160  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  800 

Similar  observances  in  modern  times. 

which  Christian  nations  worship  the  spiritual 
and  eternal  Jehovah — but  rather  as  the  em 
bodiment   of  an  idea, — a  principle, — as   the 
best  means,  in  those  rude  ages,  of  attracting 
to  it  the  general  regard. 

Even  in  our  own  days,  and  in  Christian 
lands,  men  erect  a  pole  in  honor  of  liberty, 
and  surmount  it  with  the  image  of  a  cap. 
And  if,  instead  of  the  cap,  they  were  to  place 
a  carved  effigy  of  liberty  above,  and  to  as- 
semble for  periodical  celebrations  below,  with 
games,  and  music,  and  banners,  we  should 
not  probably  call  them  idolaters.  So  Chris- 
tian poets  write  odes  and  invocations  to  Peace, 
to  Disappointment,  to  Spring,  to  Beauty,  in 
which  they  impersonate  an  idea,  or  a  princi- 
ple, and  address  it  in  the  language  of  adora- 
tion, as  if  it  were  a  sentient  being,  possessing 
magical  and  mysterious  powers.  In  the  same 
manner,  the  rites  and  celebrations  of  ancient 
times  are  not  necessarily  all  to  be  considered 
as  idolatry,  and  denounced  as  inexcusably 
wricked  and  absurd.  Our  fathers  set  up  an 
image  in  honor  of  liberty,  to  strengthen  the 
influence  of  the  love  of  liberty  on  the  popular 
mind.  It  is  possible  that  JSneas  looked  upon 
the  subject  in  the  same  light,  in  erecting  a 


B.C.  800.J         KHE  A  SILVIA.  161 


Influence  of  the  TMUl  bMtitatkm. 


public  fireside  in  honor  of  domestic  peace 
and  happiness,  and  in  designating  maidens  to 
guard  it  with  constant  vigilance  and  with 
spotless  purity.  At  all  events,  the  institution 
exercised  a  vast  and  an  incalculable  power, 
in  impressing  the  minds  of  men,  in  those  rude 
ages,  with  a  sense  of  the  sacredness  of  the 
domestic  tie,  and  in  keeping  before  their 
minds  a  high  standard,  in  theory  at  least,  ot 
domestic  honor  and  purity.  We  must  re- 
member that  they  had  not  then  the  word  of 
God,  nor  any  means  of  communicating  to  the 
minds  of  the  people  any  general  enlighten- 
ment and  instruction.  They  were  obliged, 
therefore,  to  resort  to  the  next  best  method 
which  their  ingenuity  could  devise. 

There  were  a  great  many  very  extraordinary 
rites  and  ceremonies  connected  with  the  ser- 
vice of  the  vestal  altar,  and  many  singular 
regulations  for  the  conduct  of  it,  the  origin 
and  design  of  which  it  would  now  be  very 
difficult  to  ascertain.  As  has  already  been 
remarked,  the  virgins  were  chosen  when  very 
young,  being,  when  designated  to  the  office, 
not  under  six  nor  over  ten  years  of  age.  They 
were  chosen  by  the  king,  and  it  was  necessary 
that  the  candidate,  besides  the  above-named 
21—11 


162  KOMULUI.  Itt.V.  800. 

Qualification!  of  the  cmdidiU.  Term  of  Mrrle*. 

requisite  in  regard  to  age,  should  be  in  a 
perfect  condition  of  soundness  and  health  in 
respect  to  all  her  bodily  limbs  and  members, 
and  also  to  the  faculties  of  her  mind.  It  was 
required  too  that  she  should  be  the  daughter 
of  free  and  freeborn  parents,  who  had  never 
been  in  slavery,  and  had  never  followed  any 
menial  or  degrading  occupation ;  and  alsr 
that  both  her  parents  should  be  living.  To 
be  an  orphan  was  considered,  it  seems,  in 
some  sense  an  imperfection. 

The  service  of  the  vestal  virgins  continued 
for  thirty  years;  and  when  this  period  had 
expired,  the  maidens  were  discharged  from 
their  vows,  and  were  allowed,  if  they  choae, 
to  lay  aside  their  vestal  robes,  and  the  other 
emblems  of  their  office,  and  return  to  the 
world,  with  the  privilege  even  of  marrying, 
if  they  chose  to  do  so.  Though  the  laws  how- 
ever permitted  this,  there  was  a  public  eenti 
ment  against  it,  and  it  was  seldom  that  any 
of  the  vestal  priestesses  availed  themselves 
of  the  privilege.  They  generally  remained 
after  their  term  of  service  had  expired,  in  at- 
tendance at  the  temple,  and  died  as  they  had 
lived  in  the  service  of  the  goddess. 

One  of  the  chief  functions  of  the  virgins,  is 


B.C.  800.J  RHEA  biLviA.  168 

Tha  ncrad  flr*.  Punish  went  tor  neglect  of  duty. 

their  service  in  the  temple,  was  to  keep  the 
sacred  fire  perpetually  burning.  This  fire 
was  never  to  go  out,  and  if,  by  any  neglect 
•>n  the  part  of  the  vestal  in  attendance,  this 
was  allowed  to  occur,  the  guilty  maiden  waa 
punished  terribly  by  scourging.  The  punish- 
ment was  inflicted  by  the  hands  of  the  high- 
est pontifical  officer  of  the  state.  The  laws 
of  the  institution  however  evinced  their  high 
regard  for  tbe  purity  and  modesty  of  the  ves- 
tal maidens  by  requiring  that  the  blows  should 
be  administered  in  the  dark,  the  sufferer  hav- 
ing been  previously  prepared  to  receive  them 
by  being  partially  undressed  by  her  female 
attendants.  The  extinguished  fire  was  then 
rekindled  with  many  solemn  ceremonies. 

Rhea  Silvia,  the-mother  of  Romulus,  was, 
we  repeat,  a  vestal  virgin.  She  lived  fom 
hundred  years  after  the  death  of  ./Eneas, 
During  these  four  centuries,  the  kingdom 
had  been  governed  by  the  descendants  of 
J2nea8,  generally  in  a  peaceful  and  prosperous 
manner,  although  some  difficulties  occurred 
in  the  establishment  of  the  succession  imme- 
diately after  ^neas's  death.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  ./Eneas  was  drowned  during 
the  continuance  of  the  war.  He  left  one  son. 


164  HOMULUS.  [B.C.  800. 

Qomtion  IB  rvgard  to  the  succession. 

and  perhaps  others.  The  one  who  figured 
most  conspicuously  in  the  subsequent  history 
of  the  kingdom,  was  Ascanius,  the  son  who 
had  accompanied  ^Eneas  from  Troy,  and  who 
had  now  attained  to  years  of  maturity.  He, 
of  course,  on  his  father's  death,  immediately 
succeeded  him. 

There  was  some  question,  however,  wheth- 
er, after  all,  Lavinia  herself  was  not  entitled 
to  the  kingdom.  It  was  doubtful,  according 
to  the  laws  and  usages  of  those  days,  whether 
^Eneas  held  the  realm  in  his  own  right,  or  as 
the  husband  of  Lavinia,  who  was  the  daughter 
and  heir  of  Latinus,  the  ancient  and  legiti 
mate  king.  Lavinia,  however,  seemed  tc 
have  no  disposition  to  assert  her  claim.  She 
was  of  a  mild  and  gentle  spirit ;  and,  besides, 
her  health  was  at  that  time  such  as  to  lead 
her  to  wish  for  retirement  and  repose.  She 
even  had  some  fears  for  her  personal  safety, 
not  knowing  but  that  Ascanius  would  be  sus- 
picious and  jealous  of  her  on  account  of  her 
c.aims  to  the  throne,  and  that  he  might  be 
tempted  to  do  her  some  injury.  Her  husband 
had  been  her  only  protector  among  the  Tro- 
jans, and  now,  since  he  was  no  more,  and 
another,  who  was  in  some  sense  her  rival,  had 


B.C.  1190.J       RHBA  SILVIA.  165 


Origin  of  the  n*m«  SUviua. 


risen  to  power,  she  naturally  felt  insecure. 
She  accordingly  took  the  first  opportunity  to 
retire  from  Lavinium.  She  went  away  into 
the  forests  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  with 
a  very  few  attendants  and  friends,  and  con- 
cealed herself  there  in  a  safe  retreat.  The 
family  that  received  and  sheltered  her,  was 
that  of  Tyrrheus,  the  chief  of  her  father's 
shepherds,  whose  children's  stag  Ascanius 
had  formerly  killed.  Here,  in  a  short  time, 
she  had  a  son.  She  determined  to  name  him 
from  his  father ;  and  in  order  to  commemorate 
his  having  been  born  in  the  midst  of  the  wild 
forest  scenes  which  surrounded  her  at  the 
time  of  his  birth,  she  called  him  in  full, 
^Eneas  of  the  woods,  or,  as  it  was  expressed 
in  the  language  which  was  then  used  in  La- 
tium,  ^Eneas  Silvius.  The  boy,  when  he  grew 
up,  was  always  known  by  this  name  in  sub- 
sequent history. 

And  not  only  did  he  himself  retain  the 
name,  but  he  transmitted  it  to  his  posterity, 
for  all  the  kings  that  afterward  descended 
from  him,  extending  in  a  long  line  through  a 
period  of  four  hundred  years,  had  the  word 
Sylvius  affixed  to  their  names,  in  perpetual 
commemoration  of  the  romantic  birth  of  theii 


166  ROMULUS.  [13.0. 1185. 

HiMory  of  Atoonioa.  Hi*  w&r  with  Maientio*. 

ancestor.  Rhea,  the  mother  of  Romulus,  of 
whom  we  have  already  spoken,  of  and  whom 
ore  shall  presently  have  occasion  to  speak  still 
more,  was  Rhea  Silvia,  by  reason  of  her  hav- 
ing been  by  birth  a  princess  of  this  royal 
line. 

Ascanius,  in  4,he  mean  time,  on  the  death 
of  his  father,  was  for  a  time  so  engrossed  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  war,  that  he  paid  but 
little  attention  to  the  departure  of  Lavinia. 
The  name  of  the  king  of  the  Rutulians  who 
fought  against  him  was  Mezentius.  Mezen- 
tius  had  a  son  named  Lausus,  and  both  father 
and  son  were  personally  serving  in  the  army 
by  which  Ascanius  was  besieged  in  Lavinium. 
Mezentius  had  command  in  the  camp,  at  the 
head-quarters  of  the  army,  which  was  at  some 
distance  from  the  city.  Lausus  headed  an 
advanced  guard,  which  had  established  itself 
strongly  at  a  post  which  they  had  taken  near 
the  gates.  In  this  state  of  things,  Ascaniua, 
one  dark  and  stormy  night,  planne  1  a  sortie. 
He  organized  a  desperate  body  of  followers, 
and  after  watching  the  flashes  of  lightning  foi 
a  time,  to  find  omens  from  them  indicating 
auccess,  he  gave  the  signal.  The  gates  were 
opened  and  the  column  of  armed  men  sallied 


B.C.1185.J       KHKA  SILVIA.  167 

The  Trujani  Tlotwteoa.  (kUtement  at  UM  kingdom. 

forth,  creeping  noiselessly  forward  in  the 
darkness  and  gloom,  until  they  came  to  the 
encampment  of  Lausus.  They  fell  upon  this 
camp  with  an  irresistible  rush,  and  with  ter- 
rific shouts  and  outcries.  The  whole  detach- 
ment were  taken  entirely  by  surprise,  and 
great  numbers  were  made  prisoners  or  slain. 
Lausus  himself  was  killed. 

Excited  by  their  victory,  the  Trojan  soldiers, 
headed  by  Ascanius,  now  turned  their  course 
toward  the  main  body  of  the  Rutulian  army. 
Mezentius  had,  however,  in  the  mean  time, 
obtained  warning  of  their  approach,  and  when 
they  reached  his  camp  he  was  ready  to  re- 
treat. He  fled  with  all  his  forces  toward  the 
mountains.  Ascanius  and  the  Trojans  fol- 
lowed him.  Mezentius  halted  aiid  attempted 
to  fortify  himself  on  a  hill.  Ascanius  sur- 
rounded the  hill,  and  soon  compelled  his  ene- 
mies to  come  to  terms.  A  treaty  was  made, 
and  Mezentius  and  his  forces  soon  after  with- 
drew from  the  country,  leaving  Ascanius  and 
Latinm  in  peace. 

Ascanius  then,  after  having  in  some  degree 
settled  his  affairs,  began  to  think  of  Lavinia. 
In  fact,  the  Latian  portion  of  his  subjects 
seemed  disposed  to  n  <rmur  and  complain,  at 


168  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  1185 

Lavinta  recalled.  The  building  of  Alba  Longa. 

her  having  been  compelled  to  withdraw  from 
her  own  paternal  kingdom,  in  order  to  leave 
the  throne  to  the  occupancy  of  the  son  of  a 
stranger.  Some  even  feared  that  she  had 
come  to  some  harm,  or  that  Ascanius  might 
in  the  end  put  her  to  death  when  time  had 
been  allowed  for  the  recollection  of  her  to  pass 
in  some  degree  from  the  minds  of  men.  So 
the  public  began  generally  to  call  for  La- 
vinia's  return. 

Ascanius  seems  to  have  been  well  disposed 
.o  do  justice  in  the  case,  for  he  not  only  sought 
out  Lavinia  and  induced  her  to  return  to  the 
capital  with  her  little  son,  but  he  finally  con- 
cluded to  give  up  Lavinium  to  her  entirely,  as 
her  own  rightful  dominion,  while  he  went 
away  and  founded  a  new  city  for  himself.  He 
accordingly  explored  the  country  around  for 
a  favorable  site,  and  at  length  decided  upon 
a  spot  nearly  north  of  Lavinium,  and  not  many 
miles  distant  from  it.  The  place  which  he 
marked  out  for  the  walls  of  the  city  was  at 
the  foot  of  a  mountain,  on  a  tract  of  somewhat 
elevated  ground,  which  formed  one  of  the 
lower  declivities  of  it.  The  mountain,  rising 
abruptly  on  one  side,  formed  a  sure  defense 
on  that  side :  on  the  other  side  was  a  small 


B.C.  1185.J       KHEA  SILVIA.  169 

Situation  of  Alba  Long*.  The  name. 

lake,  of  clear  and  pellucid  water.  In  front, 
and  somewhat  below,  there  were  extended 
plains  of  fertile  land.  Ascanius,  after  having 
determined  on  this  place  as  the  site  of  his  in- 
tended city,  set  his  men  at  work  to  make  the 
necessary  constructions.  Some  built  the  walls 
of  the  city,  and  laid  out  streets  and  erected 
houses  within.  Others  were  employed  in 
forming  the  declivity  of  the  mountain  above 
into  terraces,  for  the  cultivation  of  the  vine. 
The  slopes  which  they  thus  graded  had  a 
southern  exposure,  and  the  grapes  which  sub- 
sequently grew  there,  were  luxurious  and  de- 
licious in  flavor.  From  the  little  lake  chan- 
nels were  cut  leading  over  the  plains  below, 
and  by  this  means  a  constant  supply  of  watei 
could  be  conveyed  to  the  fields  of  grain  which 
were  to  be  sown  there,  for  purposes  of  irriga- 
tion. Thus  the  place  which  Ascanius  chose 
furnished  all  possible  facilities  both  for  main- 
taining, and  also  for  defending  the  people  who 
were  to  make  it  their  abode.  The  town  was 
called  Alba  Longa,  that  is  long  Alba.  It  was 
called  long  to  distinguish  it  from  another  Alba. 
It  was  really  long  in  its  form,  as  the  buildings 
extended  for  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
border  of  the  lake. 


170  ROMULUS.  fB.C.  1155 

SucceBMr  to  AMUiiH.  Perplexing  question. 

Ascanius  reigned  over  thirty  years  at  Alba 
Longa,  while  Lavinia  reigned  at  Laviniura. 
each  friendly  to  the  other  and  governing  the 
country  at  large,  together,  in  peace  and  har- 
mony. In  process  of  time  both  died.  Asca 
nius  left  a  son  whose  name  was  lulus,  while 
^Eneas  Sylvius  was  Lavinia's  heir. 

There  was,  of  course,  great  diversity  of 
opinion  throughout  the  nation  in  regard  to 
the  comparative  claims  of  these  two  princes, 
respectively.     Some  maintained  that  ^Eneae 
the  Trojan  became,  by  conquest,  the  rightful 
sovereign  of  Latium,  irrespective  of  any  rights 
that  he  acquired  through  his  marriage  with 
Lavinia,  and  that  lulus,  as  the  son  of  his  eld- 
est son,  rightfully  succeeded   him.     Others 
contended  that  Lavinia  represented  the  an 
cient  and  the  truly  legitimate  royal  line,  and 
that  ./Eneas  Silvius,  as  her  son  and  heir,  ought 
to  be  placed  upon  the  throne.     And  there 
were  those  who  proposed  to  compromise  the 
question,  by  dividing  Latium  into  two  separ- 
ate kingdoms,  giving  up  one  part  to  lulus, 
with  Alba  Longa  for  its  capital,  and  the  other, 
with  Lavinium  for  its  capital,  to  JEneas  Silvius, 
Lavinia's  heir.     This  proposition  was,  how- 
ever,  overruled.     The   two  kingdoms,   thus 


B.C.  1155.]        KHKA  SILVIA.  171 

Settlement  of  the  queitlon.  Tlberinu*. 

formed  would  be  small  and  feeble,  it  waa 
thought,  and  unable  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  other  Italian  nations  in  case  of 
war.  The  question  was  finally  settled  by  a 
different  sort  of  compromise.  It  was  agreed 
that  Latium  should  retain  its  integrity,  and 
that  ^Eneas  Silvius,  being  the  son  both  of 
./Eneas  and  Lavinia,  and  thus  representing 
both  branches  of  the  reigning  power,  should 
be  the  king,  while  lulus  and  his  descendants 
forever,  should  occupy  the  position,  scarcely 
less  inferior,  of  sovereign  power  in  matters  of 
religion.  JEneas  Silvius,  therefore,  and  his 
descendants,  became  Icings,  and  as  such  com- 
manded the  armies  and  directed  the  affairs  of 
state,  while  lulus  and  his  family  were  exalted, 
In  connection  with  them,  to  the  highest  pon- 
tifical dignities. 

This  state  of  things,  once  established,  con- 
tinued age  after  age,  and  century  after  cen- 
tury, for  about  four  hundred  years.  No  rec- 
ords, and  very  few  traditions  in  respect  to 
what  occurred  during  this  period  remain. 
One  circumstance,  however,  took  place  which 
caused  itself  to  be  remembered.  There  waa 
one  king  in  the  line  of  the  Silvii,  whose  name 
was  Tiberinus.  In  one  of  his  battles  with  the 


172  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  800. 

The  story  of  Alladlus  and  hlg  tbnndar. 

armies  of  the  nation  adjoining  him  on  the 
northern  side,  he  attempted  to  swim  across 
the  river  that  formed  the  frontier.  He  was 
forced  down  by  the  current,  and  was  seen  no 
more.  By  the  accident,  however,  he  gave 
the  name  of  Tiber  to  the  stream,  and  thus  per- 
petuated his  own  memory  through  the  subse- 
quent renown  of  the  river  in  which  he  was 
drowned.  Before  this  time  the  river  was 
called  the  Albula. 

Another  incident  is  related,  which  is  some- 
what curious,  as  illustrating  the  ideas  and 
customs  of  the  times.  One  of  this  Silvian 
line  of  sovereigns  was  named  Alladius.  This 
Alladius  conceived  the  idea  of  making  the 
people  believe  that  he  was  a  god,  and  in 
order  to  accomplish  this  end  he  reported  to 
the  contrivance  of  imitating,  by  artificial 
means,  the  sound  of  the  rumbling  ot  thunder 
and  the  flashes  of  lightning  at  night  from  his 
palace  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  at  Alba 
Longa.  He  employed,  probably,  for  this 
purpose  some  means  similar  to  those  resorted 
to  for  the  same  end  in  theatrical  spectacles  at 
the  present  day.  The  people,  however  were 
not  deceived  by  this  imposture,  though  they 
soon  after  fell  into  an  error  nearly  as  absurd 


li.C.  800.J          KHEA  SILVIA.  173 

Death  of  AUmdlum.  SopertUtJon* 

as  believing  in  this  false  thunder  would  have 
been ;  for,  on  an  occasion  which  occurred  not 
long  afterward,  probably  that  of  a  great  storm 
accompanied  with  torrents  of  rain  upon  the 
mountains  around,  the  lake  rose  so  high  as  to 
produce  an  inundation,  in  which  the  water 
broke  into  the  palace,  and  the  pretended 
thunderer  was  drowned.  The  people  consid 
ered  that  he  was  destroyed  thus  by  the  special 
interposition  of  heaven,  to  punish  him  for  his 
impiety  in  daring  to  assume  what  was  then 
considered  the  peculiar  attribute  and  preroga 
tive  of  supreme  divinity.  In  fact,  the  rumor 
circulated,  and  one  historian  has  recorded  it 
as  true,  that  Alladius  was  struck  by  the  light- 
ning which  accompanied  the  storm,  and  thus 
killed  at  once  by  the  terrible  agency  which 
he  had  presumed  to  counterfeit,  before  the 
inundation  of  the  palace  came  on.  If  he  met 
his  death  in  any  sudden  and  unusual  manner, 
'.t  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  his  fate  should 
have  been  attributed  to  the  judgment  of  God, 
foi  thunder  was  regarded  in  those  days  with 
an  extreme  and  superstitious  veneration  and 
awe.  All  this  is,  however,  now  changed. 
Men  have  learned  to  understand  thunder,  and 
to  protect  themselves  from  its  power;  and 


174  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  800. 

Numitor  and  Amulin*.  Their  respective  chmntcten. 

now,  since  Franklin  and  Morse  have  com- 
menced the  work  of  subduing  the  potent  and 
mysterious  agent  in  which  it  originates,  to  the 
human  will,  the  presumption  is  not  very 
Btrong  against  the  supposition  that  the  time 
may  come  when  human  science  may  actually 
produce  it  in  the  sky — as  it  is  now  produced, 
in  effect,  upon  the  lecturer's  table. 

At  last,  toward  the  close  of  the  four  hun- 
dred years  during  which  the  dynasty  of  the 
Sylvii  continued  to  reign  over  Latium,  a  cer- 
tain monarch  of  the  series  died,  leaving  two 
children,  Numitor  and  Amulius.  Numitor 
was  the  eldest  son,  and  as  such  entitled  to 
succeed  his  father.  But  he  was  of  a  quiet 
and  somewhat  inefficient  disposition,  while 
his  younger  brother  was  ardent  and  ambi- 
tious, arid  very  likely  to  aspire  to  the  posses- 
sion of  power.  The  father,  it  seems,  antici- 
pated the  possibility  of  dissension  between 
his  sons  after  his  death,  and  in  order  to  do 
all  in  his  power  to  guard  against  it,  he  en- 
deavored to  arrange  and  settle  the  succession 
before  he  died.  In  the  course  of  the  negotia- 
tions which  ensued,  Amulius  proposed  that 
his  father's  possessions  should  be  divided  into 
two  portions,  the  kingdom  to  constitute  one, 


B.C.  800]         RHEA  SILVIA. 

Dtrtiion  of  th«ir  father's  piMMMton*. 

and  the  wealth  and  treasures  the  other,  and 
that  Numitor  should  choose  which  portion 
he  would  have.  This  proposal  seemed  to 
have  the  appearance,  at  least,  of  reasonable- 
ness and  impartiality ;  and  it  would  have 
been  really  very  reasonable,  if  the  right  to 
the  inheritance  thus  disposed  of,  had  belonged 
equally  to  the  younger  and  to  the  elder  son. 
But  it  did  not.  And  thus  the  offer  of  Amu 
lius  was,  in  effect,  a  proposition  to  divide  with 
himself  that  which  really  belonged  wholly  to 
his  brother. 

Numitor,  however,  who,  it  seems,  was  little 
disposed  to  contend  for  his  rights,  agreed  to 
this  proposal.  He,  however,  chose  the  king- 
dom, and  left  the  wealth  for  his  brother ;  and 
the  inheritance  was  accordingly  thus  divided 
on  the  death  of  the  father.  But  Amulius,  as 
soon  as  he  came  into  possession  of  his  treas- 
ures, began  to  employ  them  as  a  means  of 
making  powerful  friends,  and  strengthening 
nis  political  influence.  In  due  time  he  usurped 
the  throne,  and  Numitor,  giving  up  the  con- 
test with  very  little  attempt  to  resist  the  usur- 
pation, fled  and  concealed  himself  in  some 
obscure  place  of  retreat.  He  had,  however, 
two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  which  he 


176  ROMULUS.  [110. 800. 

Policy  of  Nurailor.  De*Ua  of  Rf«et  *•. 

»eft  behind  him  in  his  flight.  Amnlius  feared 
that  these  children  might,  at  some  future 
time,  give  him  trouble,  by  advancing  claims 
as  their  father's  heirs.  He  did  not  dare  to 
kill  them  openly,  for  fear  of  exciting  the 
popular  odium  against  himself.  He  was 
obliged,  therefore,  to  resort  to  stratagem. 

The  son,  whose  name  was  Egestus,  he 
caused  to  be  slain  at  a  hunting  party,  by 
employing  remorseless  and  desperate  men  to 
shoot  him,  in  the  heat  of  the  chase,  with  ar- 
rows, or  thrust  him  through  with  a  spear, 
watching  their  opportunity  for  doing  this  at 
a  moment  when  they  were  not  observed,  or 
when  it  might  appear  to  be  an  accident.  The 
daughter,  whose  name  was  Rhea — the  Rhea 
Silvia  named  at  the  commencement  of  this 
chapter — he  could  not  well  actually  destroy, 
without  being  known  to  be  her  murderer ;  and 
perhaps  too,  he  had  enough  remaining  hu- 
manity to  be  unwilling  to  shed  the  blood  of  a 
helpless  and  beautiful  maiden,  the  daughter, 
too,  of  his  own  brother.  Then,  besides,  be 
had  a  daughter  of  his  own  named  Antho,  who 
was  the  playmate  and  companion  of  Rhea, 
and  with  whose  affection  for  her  cousin  he 
must  have  felt  some  sympathy.  He 


B.C.800.]         RHEA  SILVIA.  171 

Rh«*  entera  upon  h«r  duties  M  a  rectal  Ttrgln. 

not,  therefore,  destroy  the  child,  but  contented 
himself  with  determining  to  make  her  a  vestal 
virgin.  By  this  means  she  would  be  solemnly 
let  apart  to  a  religious  service,  which  would 
incapacitate  her  from  aspiring  to  the  throne  ; 
and  by  being  cut  off,  by  her  vestal  vows,  from 
all  possibility  of  forming  any  domestic  ties, 
she  could  never,  he  thought,  have  any  off- 
spring to  dispute  his  claim  to  the  throne. 

There  was  nothing  very  extraordinary  in 
this  consecration  of  his  niece,  princess  as  she 
was,  to  the  service  of  the  vestal  fire ;  for  it 
had  been  customary  for  children  of  the  high 
est  rank  to  be  designated  to  this  office.  The 
little  Rhea,  for  she  was  yet  a  child  when  her 
uncle  took  this  determination  in  respect  to 
her,  made,  as  would  appear,  no  objection  to 
what  she  perhaps  considered  a  distinguished 
honor.  The  ceremonies,  therefore,  of  her 
consecration  were  duly  performed;  she  took 
the  vows,  and  bound  herself  by  the  most  aw- 
ful sanctions — unconscious,  however,  perhaps, 
herself  of  what  she  was  doing — to  lead  thence- 
forth a  life  of  absolute  celibacy  and  seclusion. 

She  was  theu  received  into  the  temple  of 
Vesta,  and  there,  with  the  other  maidens  who 

had  been  consecrated  before  her,  she  devoted 
21—12 


178  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  800 

Unexpected  errata  announced. 

herself  to  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  her 
office,  without  reproach,  for  several  years. 
At  length,  however,  certain  circumstances 
occurred,  which  suddenly  terminated  Bhea's 
career  as  a  vestal  virgin,  and  led  to  results 
of  the  most  momentous  character.  What 
these  circumstances  were,  will  be  explained 
in  the  next  chapter. 


B.C.  774.]  TUB  TWIN 8.  179 

The  Uwopl*  of  Man  at  Alb*.  It*  litaatioo. 


CHAPTKB    Vill. 
THE  TWINS. 

A  LTHOUGH  the  temple  of  Testa  itself,  at 
•£^-  Alba  Longa,  was  the  principal  scene  of 
the  duties  which  devolved  upon  the  vestal  vir- 
gins, stiil  they  were  not  wholly  confined  in  their 
avocations  to  that  sacred  edifice,  but  were 
often  called  upon,  one  or  two  at  a  time,  to 
perform  services,  or  to  assist  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  rites,  at  other  places  in  the  city  and 
vicinity. 

There  was  &  temple  consecrated  to  Mars 
near  to  Alba.  It  was  situated  in  an  opening 
in  the  woods,  in  some  little  glen  or  valley  at 
the  base  of  the  mountain.  There  was  a  stream 
of  water  running  through  the  ground,  and 
Rhea  in  the  performance  of  her  duties  as  a 
restal  was  required  at  one  time  to  pass  to  and 
fro  through  the  groves  in  this  solitary  place  to 
fetch  water.  Here  she  allowed  herself,  in 
violation  of  her  vestal  vows,  to  form  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  man,  whom  she  met  in  the 
groves  She  knew  well  that  by  doing  so  sl*a 


180 


Rhea's  fault. 


ROMULUS. 


Her  excuse. 


[B.C.  774. 

The  wolf  story. 


RHEA  SILVIA. 


made  herself  subject  to  the  most  dreadful 
penalties  in  case  her  fault  should  become 
known.  Still  she  yielded  to  the  temptation, 
and  allowed  herself  to  be  persuaded  to  re- 
main with  the  stranger.  She  said  afterward, 
when  the  facts  were  brought  to  light,  that  her 
meeting  with  this  companion  was  wholly  un- 
intentional on  her  part.  She  saw  a  wolf  in 
the  grove,  she  said,  and  she  ran  terrified  into 
a  cave  to  escape  from  him,  and  that  the  man 


B.C.  774.J  THE  TWINS.  181 

R&M  k>  kv«Uk.  Aatho.  Birth  at  her  MM. 

came  to  her  there,  to  protect  her,  and  then 
compelled  her  to  remain  with  him.  Besides, 
from  his  dress,  and  countenance,  and  air,  she 
had  believed  him,  she  said,  to  be  the  God 
Mars  himself,  and  thought  that  it  was  not  hoi 
duty  to  resist  his  will. 

However  this  may  be,  her  stolen  interview 
or  interviews  with  this  stranger  were  not 
known  at  the  time,  and  Rhea  perhaps  thought 
that  her  fault  would  never  be  discovered. 
Some  weeks  after  this,  however,  it  was  ob- 
served by  her  companions  and  friends  that 
she  began  to  appear  thoughtful  and  de- 
pressed. Her  dejection  increased  day  by 
day ;  her  face  became  wan  and  pale,  and  her 
eyes  were  often  filled  with  tears.  They  asked 
her  what  was  the  cause  of  her  trouble.  She 
said  that  she  was  sick.  She  was  soon  afterward 
excused  from  her  duties  in  the  Vestal  temple, 
and  went  away,  and  remained  for  some  time 
shut  up  in  retirement  and  seclusion.  There  at 
ength  two  children,  twins,  were  born  to  her. 
It  was  only  through  the  influence  of  Antho, 
Rhea's  cousin,  that  the  unhappy  vestal  was 
not  put  to  death  by  Amulius,  before  her  chil- 
dren were  born,  at  the  time  when  her  fault 
was  first  discovered.  The  laws  of  the  State 


182  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  774 

Th«  BBfar  ot  Amuliui.  Rhea  ImprUonad. 

in  respect  to  vestal  virgins,  which  were  inex- 
orably severe,  would  have  justified  him  in 
causing  her  to  be  executed  at  once,  but  Antho 
interceded  so  earnestly  for  her  unhappy  con 
ain,  that  Amulius  for  a  time  spared  her  life 
When,  however,  her  sons  were  born,  the  anger 
of  Amulius  broke  out  anew.  If  she  had  re- 
mained childless  he  would  probably  have  al- 
lowed her  to  live,  though  she  could  of  course 
never  have  been  restored  to  her  office  in  the 
temple  of  Vesta.  Or  if  she  had  given  birth 
to  a  daughter  she  might  have  been  pardoned, 
since  a  daughter,  on  account  of  her  sex,  would 
have  been  little  likely  to  disturb  Amulius  in 
the  possession  of  the  kingdom.  But  the  ex- 
istence of  two  sons,  born  directly  in  the  line 
of  the  succession,  and  each  of  them  having 
claims  superior  to  his  own,  endangered,  most 
imminently,  he  perceived,  his  possession  of 
power.  He  was  of  course  greatly  enraged. 

He  caused  Rhea  to  be  shut  up  in  close  im- 
prisonment, and  as  for  the  boys,  he  ordered 
them  to  be  thrown  into  the  Tiber.  The  Tiber 
was  at  some  considerable  distance  from  Alba ; 
but  it  was  probably  near  the  place  where 
ilhoa  had  resided  in  her  retirement,  and 
where  the  children  were  born. 


3.C.774.]  THE  TWINS.  183 

Hli  pUm  The  box  that  M  made. 


A  peasant  of  that  region  was  intrusted  with 
the  task  of  throwing  the  children  into  the 
river  Whether  his  official  duty  in  undertak 
Ing  this  commission  required  him  actually  to 
drown  the  boys,  or  whether  he  was  allowed 
to  give  the  helpless  babes  some  little  chance 
for  their  lives,  is  not  known.  At  all  events 
he  determined  that  in  committing  the  children 
to  the  stream  he  would  so  arrange  it  that  they 
should  float  away  from  his  sight,  in  order  that 
he  might  not  himself  be  a  witness  of  their 
dying  struggles  and  cries.  He  accordingly 
put  them  upon  a  species  of  float  that  he  made, 
—a  sort  of  box  or  trough,  as  would  seem  from 
the  ancient  descriptions,  which  he  had  hol- 
lowed out  from  a  log,  —  and  disposing  their 
little  limbs  carefully  within  this  narrow  re- 
ceptacle, he  pushed  the  frail  boat,  with  its 
navigators  still  more  frail,  out  upon  the  cur- 
rent of  the  river. 

The  name  of  the  peasant  who  performed 
this  task  was  Faustulus.  The  peasant  also 
who  subsequently,  —  as  will  hereafter  appear, 
—  found  and  took  charge  of  the  children,  is 
spoken  of  by  the  ancient  historians  as  Faus- 
tulus, too.  In  fact  we  might  well  suppose 
that  no  man,  however  rustic  and  rude,  could 


184 


R  Q  M  U  L  U  S. 


He  follows  the  stream. 


[B.C.  774. 


FAUSTULUS  AMD  THE  TWINS. 


give  his  time  and  his  thoughts  to  two  such 
babes  long  enough  to  make  an  ark  for  them, 
for  the  purpose  of  making  it  possible  to 
save  their  lives,  and  then  place  them  care- 
fully in  it  to  send  them  away,  without  becom- 
ing so  far  interested  in  their  fate,  and  so 
touched  by  their  mute  and  confiding  helpless- 
ness, as  to  feel  prompted  to  follow  the  stream 
to  see  how  so  perilous  a  navigation  would  end. 
We  have,  however,  no  direct  evidence  that 


B.C.  774.]  THE  TWINS.  185 

Th*  children  thrown  oat  upon  the  sand.  The  wolf. 

FanBtulus  did  so  watch  the  progress  of  his 
boat  down  the  river.  The  story  is  that  it 
flras  drifted  along,  now  whirling  in  eddies, 
and  now  shooting  down  over  rapid  currents, 
until  at  last,  at  a  bend  in  the  river,  it  was 
thrown  upon  the  beach,  and  being  turned  over 
by  the  concussion,  the  children  were  rolled  out 
upon  the  sand. 

The  neighboring  thickets  soon  of  course  re- 
sounded with  their  plaintive  cries.  A  mother 
wolf  who  was  sleeping  there  came  out  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  Now  a  mother,  of 
whatever  race,  is  irresistibly  drawn  by  an  in- 
stinct,  if  incapable  of  a  sentiment,  of  affection, 
to  love  and  to  cherish  any  thing  that  is  newly 
born.  The  wolf  caressed  the  helpless  babes, 
imagining  perhaps  that  they  were  her  own 
offspring ;  and  lying  down  by  their  side  she 
cherished  and  fed  them,  watching  all  the  time 
with  a  fierce  and  vigilant  eye  for  any  ap 
preaching  enemy  or  danger.  The  rude  nur- 
sery might  very  naturally  be  supposed  to  be 
in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  water,  out  it 
happened  that  the  river,  when  the  babes  were 
set  adrift  in  it,  was  very  high,  from  the  effect 
of  rams  upon  the  mountains,  and  thus  soon 
after  tin  children  were  thrown  upon  the  land. 


186  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  774 

Tb«  woodpecker.  Th»  children  rmctud  by  FauMulu*. 

the  water  began  to  subside.  In  a  short  time 
it  whoEy  returned  to  its  accustomed  channel, 
leaving  the  children  on  the  warm  sand,  high 
above  all  danger.  The  wolf  was  not  their 
only  guardian.  A  woodpecker,  the  tradition 
says,  watched  over  them  too,  and  brought 
them  berries  and  other  sylvan  food.  The 
reader  will  perhaps  be  disposed  to  hesitate  a 
little  in  receiving  this  last  statement  for  sober 
history,  but  as  no  part  of  the  whole  narrative 
will  bear  any  very  rigid  scrutiny,  we  may  as 
well  take  the  story  of  the  woodpecker  along 
with  the  rest. 

In  a  short  time  the  children  were  rescued 
from  their  exposed  situation  by  a  shepherd,  who 
is  called  Faustulus,  and  may  or  may  not  have 
been  the  same  with  the  Faustulus  by  whom 
they  had  been  exposed.  Faustulus  carried 
the  children  to  his  hut ;  and  there  the  mater- 
nal attentions  of  the  wolf  and  the  woodpeckei 
were  replaced  by  those  of  the  shepherd's  wife. 
Her  name  was  Larentia.  Faustulus  was  one 
of  Amulius's  herdsmen,  having  the  care  of 
the  flocks  and  herds  that  grazed  on  this  part 
of  the  royal  domain,  but  living,  like  any  other 
shepherd,  in  great  seclusion,  in  his  hut  in  the 
forests.  He  not  only  rescued  the  children, 


B.C.  774.]  THE  TWINS.  187 

Ho  earrto*  tbe  children  home.  Their  education. 

but  he  brought  home  and  preserved  the  trough 
in  which  they  had  been  floated  down  the  river. 
He  put  this  relic  aside,  thinking  that  the  da) 
might  perhaps  come  in  which  there  would  b« 
occasion  to  produce  it.  He  told  the  story  of 
the  children  only  to  a  very  few  trustworthy 
friends,  and  he  accompanied  the  communica- 
tion, in  the  cases  where  he  made  it,  with 
many  injunctions  of  secrecy.  He  named  the 
foundlings  Romulus  and  Remus,  and  as  they 
grew  up  they  passed  generally  for  the  shep- 
herd's sons. 

Faustulus  felt  a  great  degree  of  interest, 
and  a  high  sense  of  responsibility  too,  in  hav- 
ing these  young  princes  under  his  care.  He 
took  great  pains  to  protect  them  from  all  pos- 
sible harm,  and  to  instruct  them  in  every  thing 
which  it  was  in  those  days  considered  impor- 
tant for  young  men  to  know.  It  is  even  said 
that  he  sent  them  to  a  town  in  Latium  where 
there  was  some  sort  of  seminary  of  learning, 
that  their  minds  might  receive  a  proper  intel- 
lectual culture.  As  they  grew  up  they  were 
both  handsome  in  form  and  in  countenance, 
and  were  characterized  by  a  graceful  dignity 
of  air  and  demeanor,  which  made  them  verj 
attractive  in  tbe  eves  of  all  who  beheld  them 


188  KOMULDS.  [B.C.  774. 

The  character  of  the  boys. 

They  were  prominent  among  the  young  herds 
men  and  hunters  of  the  forest,  for  their  cour- 
age, their  activity,  their  strength,  their  variona 
personal  accomplishments,  and  their  high  and 
generous  qualities  of  mind.  Romulus  wae 
more  silent  and  thoughtful  than  his  brother, 
and  seemed  to  possess  in  some  respects  supe- 
rior mental  powers.  Both  were  regarded  by 
all  who  knew  them  with  feelings  of  the  high  • 
est  respect  and  consideration. 

Romulus  and  Remus  treated  their  own  com- 
panions and  equals,  that  is  the  young  shep- 
herds and  herdsmen  of  the  mountains,  with 
great  courtesy  and  kindness,  and  were  very 
kindly  regarded  by  them  in  return.  They, 
however,  evinced  a  great  degree  of  independ- 
ence of  spirit  in  respect  to  the  various  bailiffs 
and  chief  herdsmen,  and  other  officers  of  field 
and  forest  police,  who  exercised  authority  in 
the  region  where  they  lived.  These  men  were 
sometimes  haughty  and  domineering,  and  the 
peasantry  in  general  stood  greatly  in  awe  of 
tfiem.  Romulus  and  Remus,  however,  always 
faced  them  without  fear,  never  seeming  to  be 
alarmed  at  their  threats,  or  at  any  other  ex- 
hibitions of  their  anger.  In  fact,  the  boys 
«eemed  to  be  imbued  with  a  native  loftiness 


B.0.760.J  THE  TWINS.  189 

Romulus  and  Remus  we  generous  ai  d  brave. 

and  fearlessness  of  character,  as  if  they  had 
inherited  a  spirit  of  confidence  and  courage 
with  their  royal  blood,  or  had  imbibed  a  por 
tion  of  the  indomitable  temper  of  their  fierce 
tester  mother. 

They  were  generous,  however,  as  well  as 
brave.  They  took  the  part  of  the  weak  and 
the  oppressed  against  the  tyrannical  and  the 
strong  in  the  rustic  contentions  that  they  wit- 
nessed ;  they  interposed  to  help  the  feeble,  to 
relieve  those  who  were  in  want,  and  to  pro- 
tect the  defenseless.  They  hunted  wild 
beasts,  they  fought  against  robbers,  they 
rescued  and  saved  the  lost.  For  amusements, 
they  practiced  running,  wrestling,  racing, 
throwing  javelins  and  spears,  and  other  ath- 
letic feats  and  accomplishments — in  every 
thing  excelling  all  their  competitors,  and  be- 
coming in  the  end  greatly  renowned. 

Numitor,  the  father  of  Rhea  Silvia,  whon 
Amulius  had  dethroned  and  banished  fron 
Alba,  was  all  this  time  still  living ;  and  he 
had  now  at  length  become  so  far  reconciled 
to  Amulius  as  to  be  allowed  to  reside  in  Alba 
— though  he  lived  there  as  a  private  citizen. 
He  owned,  it  seems,  some  estates  near  the 
Tiber,  where  he  had  flocks  and  herds  that 


190  ROMULUS.  [J3.C.  760. 

Quarrel  among  the  berdcmen. 

were  tended  by  his  shepherds  and  herdsmen 
It  happened  at  one  time  that  some  contention 
arose  between  the  herdsmen  of  Numitor  and 
those  of  Amulius,  among  whom  Romulus  and 
Remus  were  residing.  Now  as  the  young 
men  had  thus  far,  of  course,  no  idea  whatever 
of  their  relationship  to  Numitor,  there  was  no 
reason  why  they  should  feel  any  special  in- 
terest in  his  affairs,  and  they  accordingly,  as 
might  naturally  have  been  expected,  took  part 
with  Amulius  in  this  quarrel,  since  Faustulus, 
and  all  the  shepherds  around  them  were  on 
that  side.  The  herdsmen  of  Numitor  in  the 
course  of  the  quarrel  drove  away  some  of  the 
cattle  which  were  claimed  as  belonging  to  the 
herdsmen  of  Amulius.  Romulus  and  Remus 
headed  a  band  which  they  hastily  called  to- 
gether, to  pursue  the  depredators  and  bring 
the  cattle  back.  They  succeeded  in  this  ex- 
pedition, and  recaptured  the  herd.  This  in- 
censed the  party  of  Numitor,  and  they  deter 

ed  on  revenge. 

They  waited  some  time  for  a  favorable  op 
portunity.  At  length  the  time  came  for  cele 
brating  a  certain  festival  called  the  Super 
calia,  which  consisted  of  very  rude  games  antf 
ceremonies,  in  which  men  sacrificed  goati 


B.C.  760.]  THE  TWINS.  19J 

Ramiu  U  mddenly  made  prisoner. 

and  then  dressed  themselves  partially  in  the 
skins,  and  ran  about  whipping  every  one 
whom  they  met,  with  thongs  made  likewise 
of  the  skins  of  goats,  or  of  rabbits,  or  othe1* 
aiiimals  remarkable  for  their  fecundity.  The 
meaning  of  the  ceremonies,  so  far  as  such  un- 
couth and  absurd  ceremonies  could  have  any 
meaning,  was  to  honor  the  God  of  fertility  and 
fruitfulness,  and  to  promote  the  fruitfulness 
of  their  flocks  and  herds,  during  the  year  en- 
suing at  the  time  that  the  celebrations  were 
held. 

The  retainers  and  partisans  of  Numitor  de- 
termined on  availing  themselves  of  this  op- 
portunity to  accomplish  their  object.  Ac- 
cordingly, they  armed  themselves,  and  coming 
suddenly  upon  the  spot  where  the  shepherds 
of  Amulius  were  celebrating  the  games,  they 
made  a  rush  for  Remus,  who  was  at  that  time, 
in  accordance  with  the  custom,  running  to 
and  fro,  half-naked,  and  armed  only  with 
goat-skin  thongs.  They  succeeded  in  making 
him  prisoner,  and  bore  him  away  in  triumph 
to  Numitor. 

Of  course,  this  daring  act  produced  great 
excitement  throughout  the  country.  Numitor 
was  well  pleased  with  the  prize  tnat  he  had 


192  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  758. 

Heavy  charges  against  Remus. 

secured,  but  felt,  at  the  same  time,  some  feai 
of  the  responsibility  which,  he  incurred  by 
holding  the  prisoner.  He  was  strongly  in- 
clined to  proceed  against  Remus,  and  punish 
him  himself  for  the  offenses  which  the  herds- 
men of  his  lands  charged  against  him ;  but 
he  finally  concluded  that  this  would  not  be 
safe,  and  he  determined,  in  the  end,  to  refer 
the  case  to  Amulius  for  decision.  He  accord- 
ingly sent  Remus  to  Amulius,  making  griev- 
ous charges  against  him,  as  a  lawless  desper- 
ado, who,  with  his  brother,  Numitor  said, 
were  the  terror  of  the  forests,  through  their 
domineering  temper  and  their  acts  of  robbery 
and  rapine. 

The  king,  pleased,  perhaps,  with  the  spirit 
of  deference  to  his  regal  authority  on  the 
part  of  his  brother,  implied  in  the  referring 
of  the  case  of  the  accused  to  him  for  trial, 
sent  Remus  back  again  to  Numitor,  saying 
that  Numitor  might  punish  the  freebooter 
himself  in  any  way  that  he  thought  best 
Remus  was  accordingly  brought  again  tc 
Numitor's  house.  In  the  mean  time,  the  fact 
of  his  being  thus  made  a  prisoner,  and  charg- 
ed with  crime,  and  the  proceedings  in  rela- 
tion to  him,  in  serving  him  back  and  forth 


B.C.  758.J  THE  TWINS.  198 

Remiis  before  Numltor  and  Amullus. 

between  Amulius  and  Numitor,  strongly 
attracted  public  attention.  Every  one  was 
talking  of  the  prisoner,  and  discussing  the 
question  of  his  probable  fate.  The  general 
interest  which  was  thus  awakened  in  respect 
to  him  and  to  his  brother  Romulus,  revived 
the  slumbering  recollections  in  the  minds  of 
the  old  neighbors  of  Faustulus,  of  the  stories 
which  he  had  told  them  of  his  having  found 
the  twins  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  their  in- 
fancy. They  told  this  story  to  Romulus,  and 
he  or  some  other  friends  made  it  known  to 
Remus  while  he  was  still  confined. 

When  Remus  was  brought  before  Numitor 
— who  was  really  his  grandfather,  though  the 
fact  of  this  relationship  was  wholly  unknown 
to  both  of  them — Numitor  was  exceedingly 
struck  with  his  handsome  countenance  and 
form,  and  with  his  fearless  and  noble  de- 
meanor. The  young  prisoner  seemed  perfect- 
ly self-possessed  and  at  his  ease  ;  and  though 
he  knew  well  that  his  life  was  at  stake,  there 
was  a  certain  air  of  calmness  and  composure 
in  his  manner  which  seemed  to  denote  very 
lofty  qualities,  both  of  person  and  mind. 

A  vague  recollection  of  the  lost  children  of 
his  daughter  Rhea  immediately  flashed  across 

21—13 


194  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  758. 

Remus  giro*  an  account  of  himself. 

Nnmitor's  mind.  It  changed  all  his  angei 
against  Remus  to  a  feeling  of  wondering  in- 
terest and  curiosity,  and  gave  to  his  counte- 
aaiice,  as  he  looked  upon  his  prisoner,  an  ex- 
pression of  kind  and  tender  regard.  After  a 
short  pause  Numitor  addressed  the  young 
captive — speaking  in  a  gentle  and  conciliat 
ing  manner — and  asked  him  who  he  was,  and 
who  his  parents  were. 

"  I  will  frankly  tell  you  all  that  I  know," 
said  Remus,  "  since  you  treat  me  in  so  fair 
and  honorable  a  manner.  The  king  delivered 
me  up  to  be  punished,  without  listening  to 
what  I  had  to  say,  but  you  seem  willing  to 
hear  before  you  condemn.  My  name  is 
Remus,  and  I  have  a  twin-brother  named 
Romulus.  We  have  always  supposed  our- 
selves to  be  the  children  of  Faustulas ;  but 
now,  since  this  difficulty  has  occurred,  we 
have  heard  new  tidings  in  respect  to  oui 
origin.  We  are  told  that  we  were  found  in 
our  infancy,  on  the  shore  of  the  river,  at  the 
place  where  Faostulus  lives,  and  that  nea?  by 
there  was  a  box  or  trough,  in  which  we  had 
been  floated  down  to  the  spot  from  a  place 
above.  When  Faustulus  found  us,  there  wae 
a  wolf  and  a  woodpecker  taking  care  of  M» 


B.C.  756.J  THE  TWINS.  I9fl 

Nnmltor  learns  the  truth.  Romal i*. 

and  bringing  us  food.  Faustulus  carried  us 
to  his  house,  and  brought  us  iip  as  his  chil- 
dren. He  preserved  the  trough,  too,  and  has 
it  now." 

Nuinitor  was,  of  course,  greatly  excited  at 
hearing  this  intelligence.  He  perceived  at 
once  that  the  finding  of  these  children,  both 
in  respect  to  time  and  place,  and  to  all  the 
attendant  circumstances,  corresponded  so  pre- 
cisely with  the  exposure  of  the  children  of 
Rhea  Silvia  as  to  leave  no  reasonable  ground 
for  doubt  that  Romulus  and  Remus  were  his 
grandsons.  He  resolved  immediately  to  com- 
municate this  joyful  discovery  to  his  daughter, 
if  he  could  contrive  the  means  of  gaining  ac 
cess  to  her ;  for  during  all  this  time  she  had 
been  kept  in  close  confinement  in  her  prison. 

In  the  mean  time,  Romulus  himself,  at  the 
house  of  Faustulus,  in  the  forests,  had  become 
greatly  excited  by  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  found  himself  placed.  He  had  been  first 
very  much  incensed  at  the  capture  of  Remus, 
and  while  concerting  with  Faustulus  plans  for 
rescuing  him,  Faustulus  had  explained  to  him 
the  mystery  of  his  birth.  He  had  informed 
him  not  only  how  he  was  found  with  his 
Hrother,  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  but  also  had 


196  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  756. 

Romulus  plans  a  re/'dJlion.  Fanstulna  and  the  arts. 

made  known  to  him  whose  sons  he  and  Re- 
mus were.  Romulus  was,  of  course,  extremely 
elated  at  this  intelligence.  His  native  cour- 
age and  energy  were  quickened  anew  by  his 
learning  that  he  and  his  brother  were  princes, 
and  as  he  believed,  rightfully  entitled  to  the 
throne.  He  immediately  began  to  form  plans 
for  raising  a  rebellion  against  the  government 
of  Amulius,  with  a  view  of  first  rescuing  Re- 
mus from  his  power,  and  afterward  taking 
such  ulterior  steps  as  circumstances  might  re- 
quire. 

Faustulus,  on  the  other  hand,  leaving  Rom- 
ulus to  raise  the  forces  for  his  insurrection  as 
he  pleased,  determined  to  go  himself  to  Nu- 
mitor  and  reveal  the  secret  of  the  birth  of 
Romulus  and  Remus  to  him.  In  order  to  con- 
firm and  corroborate  his  story,  he  took  the 
trough  with  him,  carrying  it  under  his  cloak, 
in  order  to  conceal  it  from  view,  and  in  this 
manner  made  his  appearance  at  the  gates  of 
Alba. 

There  was  something  in  his  appearance 
and  manner  when  he  arrived  at  the  gate, 
which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  officers 
on  guard  there.  He  wore  the  dress  of  a 
countryman,  and  had  obviously  come  in  from 


B.C.  756.]  THE  TWINS.  197 

Fatvtnln*  itopped  at  the  (ate*  of  the  city. 

the  forests,  a  long  way  ;  and  there  was  some- 
thing in  his  air  which  denoted  hurry  and  agi- 
iatim.  The  soldiers  asked  him  what  he  had 
under  his  cloak,  and  compelled  him  to  pro- 
duce the  ark  to  view.  The  curiosity  of  the 
guardsmen  was  still  more  strongly  aroused  at 
seeing  this  old  relic.  It  was  bound  with  brass 
bands,  and  it  had  some  rude  inscription 
marked  upon  it.  It  happened  that  one  of 
the  guard  was  an  old  soldier  who  had  been  in 
some  way  connected  with  the  exposure  of  the 
children  of  Rhea  when  they  were  set  adrift  in 
the  river,  and  he  immediately  recognized  this 
trough  as  the  float  which  they  had  been 
placed  in.  He  immediately  concluded  that 
some  very  extraordinary  movement  was  going 
on, — and  he  determined  to  proceed  forthwith 
and  inform  Amulius  of  what  he  had  discov- 
ered. He  accordingly  went  to  the  king  and 
informed  him  that  a  man  had  been  intercepted 
at  the  gate  of  the  city,  who  was  attempting  to 
bring  in,  concealed  under  his  cloak,  the  iden- 
tical ark  or  float,  which  to  his  certain  knowl 
edge  had  been  used  in  the  case  of  the  children 
of  Rhea  Silvia,  for  sending  them  adrift  on  the 
waters  of  the  Tiber. 

The  king  was  greatly  excited  and  agitated 


198  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  755. 

Faustulu*  is  greatly  embarrassed. 

at  receiving  this  intelligence.  He  ordered 
Faustulus  to  be  brought  into  his  presence. 
Faustulus  was  much  terrified  at  receiving 
this  summons.  He  had  but  little  time  to  re- 
dect  what  to  say,  and  during  the  few  minutes 
that  elapsed  while  they  were  conducting  him 
into  the  presence  of  the  king,  he  found  it  hard 
to  determine  how  much  it  would  be  best  for 
him  to  admit,  and  how  much  to  deny.  Fi 
nally,  in  answer  to  the  interrogations  of  the 
king,  he  acknowledged  that  he  found  the 
children  arid  the  ark  in  which  they  had  been 
drifted  upon  the  shore,  and  that  he  had  saved 
the  boys  alive,  and  had  brought  them  up  as 
his  children.  He  said,  however,  that  he  did 
not  know  where  they  were.  They  had  gone 
away,  he  alledged,  some  years  before,  and 
were  now  living  as  shepherds  in  some  distant 
part  of  the  country,  he  did  not  know  exactly 
where. 

Amulius  then  asked  Faustulus  what  he  had 
been  intending  to  do  with  the  trough,  which 
he  was  bringing  so  secretly  into  the  city. 
Faustulus  said  that  he  was  going  to  carry  it 
to  Rhea  in  her  prison,  she  having  often  ex- 
pressed a  strong  desire  to  see  it,  as  a  token 
to-  memorial  which  would  recall  the  dear 


B.C.  755.J  THE  TWINS.  199 

Amultu*  ii  alarmed  !!•  «endg  for  Numltor. 

babes  that  had  lain  in  it  very  vividly  to  her 
mind. 

Amnlins  seemed  satisfied  that  these  state- 
ments were  honest  and  true,  but  they  awa- 
kened in  his  mind  a  very  great  solicitude  and 
Enxiety.  He  feared  that  the  children,  being 
still  alive,  might  some  day  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  their  origin,  and  so  disturb  his  pos- 
session of  the  throne,  and  perhaps  revenge, 
by  some  dreadful  retaliation,  the  wrongs  and 
injuries  which  he  had  inflicted  upon  their 
mother  and  their  grandfather.  The  people, 
he  feared,  would  be  very  much  inclined  to 
take  part  with  them,  and  not  with  him,  in  any 
contest  which  might  arise;  for  their  sympa- 
thies were  already  on  the  side  of  Numitor. 
In  a  word,  he  was  greatly  alarmed,  and  he 
was  much  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do,  to 
avert  the  danger  which  was  impending  over 
him. 

He  concluded  to  send  to  Numitor  and  in- 
quire of  him  whether  he  was  aware  that  the 
boys  were  still  alive,  and  if  so,  if  he  knew 
where  they  were  to  be  found.  He  accord- 
ingly sent  a  messenger  to  his  brother,  com- 
missioned to  make  these  inquiries.  This 
messenger,  though  in  the  service  of  Amulius. 


200  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  755 

Romulus  ueaults  the  city. 

was  really  a  friend  to  Numitor,  and  on  beinp 
admitted  to  Numitor's  presence,  when  he 
went  to  make  the  inquiries  as  directed  by  the 
king,  he  found  Remus  there, — though  not,  as 
he  had  expected,  in  the  attitude  of  a  prisoner 
awaiting  sentence  from  a  judge,  but  rather  in 
that  of  a  son  in  affectionate  consultation  with 
his  father.  He  soon  learned  the  truth,  and 
immediately  expressed  his  determination  to 
espouse  the  cause  of  the  prince.  "  The  whole 
city  will  be  on  your  side,"  said  he  to  Remus. 
"You  have  only  to  place  yourself  at  the  head 
of  the  population,  and  proclaim  your  rights ; 
and  you  will  easily  be  restored  to  the  posses- 
sion of  them." 

Just  at  this  crisis  a  tumult  was  heard  at  the 
gates  of  the  city.  Romulus  had  arrived  there 
at  the  head  of  the  band  of  peasants  and  herds- 
men that  he  had  collected  in  the  forests. 
Fhese  insurgents  were  rudely  armed  and  were 
organized  in  a  very  simple  and  primitive 
manner.  For  weapons  the  peasants  bore  such 
implements  of  agriculture  as  could  be  used  for 
weapons,  while  the  huntsmen  brought  their 
pikes,  and  speare,  and  javelins,  and  such  other 
projectiles  as  were  employed  in  those  day  a 
in  hunting  wild  beasts.  The  troop  was  divided 


B.C.  755.]  THE  TWINS.  201 

The  reTott  U  tnecemtnL  Amullua  la  tlaln. 

into  companies  of  one  hundred,  and  for  ban- 
ners they  bore  tufts  of  grass  on  wisps  of  straw, 
3r  fern,  or  other  herbage,  tied  at  the  top  of  a 
pole.  The  armament  was  rude,  but  the  men 
WQTQ  resolute  and  determined,  and  they  made 
their  appearance  at  the  gates  of  the  city  upon 
the  outside,  just  in  time  to  co-operate  with 
Remus  in  the  rebellion  which  he  had  raised 
within. 

The  revolt  was  successful.  A  revolt  is 
generally  successful  against  a  despot,  when 
the  great  mass  of  the  population  desire  his 
downfall.  Amulius  made  a  desperate  attempt 
to  stem  the  torrent,  but  his  hour  had  come. 
His  palace  was  stormed,  and  he  was  slain. 
The  revolution  was  complete,  and  Romulut 
and  Remus  were  masters  of  the  country. 


202  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754. 

The  people  of  Alba  Long*  called  together. 


CHAPTER   IX. 
THE  FOUNDING  OF  ROMB. 

\  S  soon  as  the  excitement  and  the  agita- 
-^^-  tions  which  attended  the  sudden  revolu- 
tion by  which  Amulius  was  dethroned  were  in 
some  measure  calmed,  and  tranquillity  was 
restored,  the  question  of  the  mode  in  which 
the  new  government  should  be  settled,  arose. 
Numitor  considered  it  best  that  he  should  caD 
an  assembly  of  the  people  and  lay  the  subject 
before  them.  There  was  a  very  large  portion 
of  the  populace  who  yet  knew  nothing  certain 
in  respect  to  the  causes  of  the  extraordinary 
events  that  had  occurred.  The  city  was  filled 
with  strange  rumors,  in  all  of  which  truth  and 
falsehood  were  inextricably  mingled,  so  that 
they  increased  rather  than  allayed  the  general 
curiosity  and  wonder. 

Numitor  accordingly  convened  a  general 
assembly  of  the  inhabitants  of  Alba,  in  a 
public  square.  The  rude  and  rustic  moun- 
taineers and  peasants  whom  Romulus  had 
brought  to  the  city  came  with  the  rest.  Rom- 


B.C.  754.]     FOUNDING  OF  ROMS.  208 

The  address  of  Nomltor  to  the  eltlMM. 

ulus  and  Reinus  themselves  did  not  at  first 
appear.  Numitor,  when  the  audience  was 
assembled,  came  forward  to  address  them. 
He  gave  them  a  recital  of  all  the  events  con- 
nected with  the  usurpation  of  Amulius.  He 
told  them  of  the  original  division  which  had 
been  made  thirty  or  forty  years  before,  of  the 
kingdom  and  the  estates  of  his  father,  between 
Amulius  and  himself, — of  the  plans  and  in- 
trigues by  which  Amulius  had  contrived  to 
possess  himself  of  the  kingdom  and  reduce 
him,  Numitor,  into  subjection  to  his  sway, — of 
his  causing  Egestus,  Numitor's  son,  to  be  slain 
in  the  hunting  party,  and  then  compelling  his 
little  daughter  Rhea  to  become  a  vestal  virgin 
in  order  that  she  might  never  be  married. 
He  then  went  on  to  describe  the  birth  of 
Romulus  and  Remus,  the  anger  of  Amulius 
when  informed  of  the  event,  his  cruel  treat- 
ment of  the  children  and  of  the  mother,  and 
his  orders  that  the  babes  should  be  drowned 
in  the  Tiber.  He  gave  an  account  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  infants  had  been  put  into 
the  little  wooden  ark,  of  their  floating  down 
the  stream,  and  finally  landing  on  the  bank, 
and  of  their  being  rescued,  protected  and  fed, 
by  the  wolf  and  the  woodpecker.  He  closed 


204  ROMULUS.  (B.C.  754. 

Romolus  and  Remua  come  forward. 

his  speech  by  saying  that  the  young  princes 
were  still  alive,  and  that  they  were  then  at 
hand  ready  to  present  themselves  before  the 
assembly. 

As  he  said  these  words,  Romulus  and  Re- 
mus came  forward,  and  the  vast  assembly, 
after  gazing  for  a  moment  in  silent  wonder 
upon  their  tall  and  graceful  forms,  in  which 
they  saw  combined  athletic  strength  and  vigor 
with  manly  beauty,  they  burst  into  long  and 
loud  acclamations.  As  soon  as  the  applause 
had  in  some  measure  subsided,  Romulus  and 
Remus  turned  to  their  grandfather  and  hailed 
him  king.  The  people  responded  to  this  an- 
nouncement with  new  plaudits,  and  Numitor 
was  universally  recognized  as  the  rightful 
sovereign. 

It  seems  that  notwithstanding  the  personal 
graces  and  accomplishments  of  Romulus  and 
Remus,  and  their  popularity  among  their  fel- 
low foresters,  that  they  and  their  followers 
made  a  somewhat  rude  and  wild  appearance 
in  the  city,  and  Numitor  was  very  willing, 
when  the  state  of  things  had  become  some- 
what settled,  that  his  rustic  auxiliaries  should 
find  some  occasion  for  withdrawing  from  the 
eapital  and  returning  again  to  their  own  na 


B.C. 754.]     FOUNDING  OF  ROMB.  205 


Plan  for  build  Log  •  arw  ottj. 


tire  fastnesses.  Romulus  and  Remus,  how- 
ever, having  now  learned  that  they  were  enti- 
tled to  the  regal  name,  naturally  felt  desirous 
of  possessing  a  little  regal  power,  and  thu£ 
desired  to  remain  in  the  city ;  while  still  they 
had  too  much  consideration  for  their  grand- 
father to  wish  to  deprive  him  of  the  govern- 
ment. After  some  deliberation  a  plan  was 
devised  which  promised  to  gratify  the  wishes 
of  all. 

The  plan  was  this,  namely,  that  Numitor 
should  set  apart  a  place  in  his  kingdom  of 
Latium  where  Romulus  and  Remus  might 
build  a  city  for  themselves, — taking  with  them 
to  the  spot  the  whole  horde  of  their  retainers. 
The  place  which  he  designated  for  this  pur- 
pose was  the  spot  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber 
where  the  two  children  had  been  landed  when 
floating  down  the  stream.  It  was  a  wild  and 
romantic  region,  and  the  enterprise  of  build- 
ing a  city  upon  it  was  one  exactly  suited  to 
engage  the  attention  and  occupy  the  powers 
of  such  restless  spirits  as  those  who  had  col 
lected  under  the  young  princes'  standard. 
Many  of  these  men,  it  is  true,  were  shepherds 
and  herdsmen,  well  disposed  in  mind,  though 
rude  and  rough  in  manners.  But  then  there 


206  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754- 

Numitor  10  to  render  the  necessary  aid. 

were  many  others  of  a  very  turbulent  and  un- 
manageable character,  outlaws,  fugitives,  and 
adventurers  of  every  description,  who  had 
fled  to  the  woods  to  escape  punishment  for 
tormer  crimes,  or  seek  opportunities  for  the 
commission  of  new  deeds  of  rapine  and  rob- 
bery ;  and  who  had  seized  upon  the  occasion 
furnished  by  the  insurrection  against  Amulius 
to  come  forth  into  the  world  again.  Crimi- 
nals always  flock  into  armies  when  armies  are 
raised  ;  for  war  presents  to  the  wicked  and 
depraved  all  the  charms,  with  but  half  the 
danger,  of  a  life  of  crime.  "War  is  in  fact  or- 
dinarily only  a  legal  organization  of  crime. 

Romulus  and  Remus  'entered  into  their 
grandfather's  plan  with  great  readiness.  Nu- 
mitor  promised  to  aid  them  in  their  enter- 
prise by  every  means  in  his  power.  He  was 
to  furnish  tools  and  implements,  for  excava- 
tions and  building,  and  artisans  so  far  as 
artisans  were  required,  and  was  also  to  pro- 
vide such  temporary  supplies  of  provisions 
»nd  stores  as  might  be  required  at  the  outset 
of  the  undertaking.  He  gave  permission  also 
to  any  of  his  subjects  to  join  Romulus  ar  d  Re- 
mus in  their  undertaking,  and  they,  in  order  to 
increase  their  numbers  as  much  as  possible,  sent 


B.C.  754.]     FOUNDING  OF  HOME.  207 

Great  numbers  flock  together  to  build  the  city. 

messengers  around  to  the  neighboring  country 
inviting  all  who  were  disposed,  to  come  and 
take  part  in  the  building  of  the  new  city. 
This  invitation  was  accepted  by  great  num- 
bers of  people,  from  every  rank  and  station 
in  life. 

Of  course,  however,  the  greater  portion  of 
those  who  came  to  join  the  enterprise,  were 
cf  a  very  low  grade  in  respect  to  moral  char- 
acter. Men  of  industry,  integrity,  and  moral 
worth,  who  possessed  kind  hearts  and  warm 
domestic  affections,  were  generally  well  and 
prosperously  settled  each  in  his  own  hamlet 
or  town,  and  were  little  inclined  to  break 
away  from  the  ties  which  bound  them  to 
friends  and  society,  in  order  to  plunge  in  such 
a  scene  of  turmoil  and  confusion  as  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  city,  under  such  circumstances, 
must  necessarily  be.  It  was  of  course  gener- 
ally the  discontented,  the  idle,  and  the  bad, 
that  would  hope  for  benefit  from  such  a  change 
as  this  enterprise  proposed  to  them.  Every 
restless  and  desperate  spirit,  every  depraved 
victim  of  vice,  every  fugitive  and  outlaw 
would  be  ready  to  embark  in  such  a  scheme, 
which  was  to  create  certainly  a  new  phase  in 
relations  to  society,  and  thus  afford  them 


208  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

The  seven  hills.  The  Palatine  hilL 

an  opportunity  to  make  a  fresh  beginning 
The  enterprise  at  the  same  time  seemed  to 
offer  them,  through  a  new  organization  and 
new  .aws,  some  prospect  of  release  from  re 

ponsibility  for  former  crimes.  In  a  word,  ir. 
preparing  to  lay  the  foundations  of  their  city, 
Rumulus  and  Remus  found  themselves  at  the 
head  of  a  very  wild  and  lawless  company. 

There  were  seven  distinct  hills  on  the  ground 
which  was  subsequently  included  within  the 
limits  of  Rome.  Between  and  among  these 
hills  the  river  meandered  by  sweeping  and 
graceful  curves,  and  at  one  point,  near  the 
center  of  what  is  now  the  city,  the  stream 
passed  very  near  the  foot  of  one  of  the  eleva 
tions  called  the  Palatine  Hill.  Here  was  the 
spot  where  the  wooden  ark  in  which  Romulus 
and  Remus  had  been  set  adrift,  had  been 
thrown  up  upon  the  shore.  The  sides  of  the 
hill  were  steep,  and  between  it  and  the  river 
there  was  in  one  part  a  deep  morass.  Roinu- 

us  thought,  on  surveying  the  ground  with 
Remus  his  brother,  that  this  was  the  best  spot 
for  building  the  city.  They  could  set  apart  a 
sufficient  space  of  level  ground  around  the 
foot  of  the  hill  for  the  houses — inclosing  the 
whole  with  a  wall — while  the  top  of  the  hiJJ 


B.C.  754.]  FOUNDING   OF    ROME. 


209 


Difference  of  opinion  between  Romulus  and  Remus. 


SITUATION  OF  ROME. 


itself  might  be  fortified  to  form  the  citadel. 
The  wall  and  the  steep  acclivity  of  the  ground 
would  form  a  protection  on  three  sides  of  the 
indosure,  while  the  morass  alone  would  be  a 
sufficient  defense  on  the  part  toward  the 
river.  Then  Romulus  was  specially  desirous 
to  select  this  spot  as  the  site,  as  it  was  here 
that  he  and  his  brother  had  been  saved  from 
destruction  in  so  wonderful  a  manner. 

Remus,  however,  did  not  concur  in  these 

91 — 14 


210  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

AdrantagM  of  the  A  Tentlne  hllL 

views.  A  little  farther  down  the  stream  there 
was  another  elevation  called  the  Aventine 
HiL,  which  seemed  to  him  more  suitable  foi 
the  site  of  a  town.  The  sides  were  less  pre- 
cipitous, and  thus  were  more  convenient  for 
building  ground.  Then  the  land  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  was  better  adapted  to  the 
purposes  which  they  had  in  view.  In  a  word, 
the  Aventine  Hill  was,  as  Remus  thought, 
for  every  substantial  reason,  much  the  best 
locality  ;  and  as  for  the  fact  of  their  having 
been  washed  ashore  at  the  foot  of  the  other 
hill,  it  was  in  his  opinion  an  insignificant  cir- 
cufcistance,  wholly  unworthy  of  being  taken 
seriously  into  the  account  in  laying  the  foun- 
dation of  a  city. 

The  positions  in  which  Remus  and  Romu- 
lus stood  in  respect  to  each  other,  and  the 
feelings  which  were  naturally  awakened  in 
their  hearts  by  the  circumstances  in  which 
they  found  themselves  placed,  were  such  aa 
did  not  tend  to  allay  any  rising  asperity 
which  accident  might  occasion,  but  rather  to 
irritate  and  inflame  it.  In  the  first  place, 
they  were  both  ardent,  impulsive,  and  impe- 
rious. Each  was  conscious  of  his  strength, 
and  eager  to  exercise  it.  Each  wished  to 


B.C.  754. J     FOUNDING  OF  KOMB.  211 


Perfect  equality  of  the  two  brothe 


command,  and  was  wholly  unwilling  to  obey. 
While  they  were  in  adversity,  they  clung  to 
gether  for  mutual  help  and  protection;  but 
aow,  when  they  had  come  into  the  enjoyment 
of  prosperity  and  power,  the  bands  of  affec- 
tion which  had  bound  them  together  were 
very  much  weakened,  and  were  finally  sun- 
dered. Then  there  was  nothing  whatever  to 
mark  any  superiority  of  one  over  the  other. 
If  they  had  been  of  different  ages,  the  younger 
could  have  yielded  to  the  elder,  in  some  de- 
gree, without  wounding  his  pride.  If  one 
had  been  more  prominent  than  the  other  in 
effecting  the  revolution  by  which  Amulius 
was  dethroned,  or  if  there  had  been  a  native 
difference  of  temperament  or  character  to 
mark  a  distinction,  or  if  either  had  been  des- 
ignated by  Numitor,  or  selected  by  popular 
choice,  for  the  command, — all  might  have 
been  well.  But  there  seemed  in  fact  to  be 
between  them  no  grounds  of  distinction  what- 
ever. They  were  twins,  so  that  neither  could 
claim  any  advantage  of  birthright.  They 
were  equal  in  size,  strength,  activity,  and 
courage.  They  had  been  equally  bold  and 
efficient  in  effecting  the  revolution ;  and  now 
they  seemed  equally  powerful  in  respect  to 


212  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754. 

Both  determined  not  to  yield. 

the  influence  which  they  wielded  over  the 
minds  of  their  followers.  We  have  been  so 
long  accustomed  to  consider  Romulus  the 
more  distinguished  personage,  through  the 
associations  connected  with  his  name,  thai 
have  arisen  from  his  subsequent  career,  that 
it  is  difficult  for  us  to  place  him  and  his 
brother  on  that  footing  of  perfect  equality 
which  they  occupied  in  the  estimation  of  all 
who  knew  them  in  this  part  of  their  history. 
This  equality  had  caused  no  difference  be- 
tween them  thus  far,  but  now,  since  the  ad- 
vent of  power  and  prosperity  prevented  their 
continuing  longer  on  a  level,  there  necessarily 
came  up  for  decision  the  terrible  question, — 
terrible  when  two  such  spirits  as  theirs  have 
it  to  decide, — which  was  to  yield  the  palm. 

The  brothers,  therefore,  having  each  ex- 
pressed his  preference  in  respect  to  the  best 
place  for  the  city,  were  equally  unwilling  to 
recede  from  the  ground  which  they  had  tak 
en.  Remus  thought  that  there  was  no  reasor 
why  he  should  yield  to  Romulus,  and  Romu- 
Ins  was  equally  unwilling  to  give  way  to  Re- 
mus. Neither  could  yield,  in  fact,  witLout 
in  some  sense  admitting  the  superiority  of 
.the  other.  The  respective  partisans  of  the 


B.C.  754. J     FOUNDING  OF  HOME.  218 

The  brothara  appeal  to  Numitor.  Hl§  proposal. 

two  leaders  began  to  take  sides,  and  the  dis- 
sension threatened  to  become  a  serious  quar- 
rel. Finally,  being  not  yet  quite  ready  for 
An  open  rupture,  they  concluded  to  refer  the 
question  to  Numitor,  and  to  abide  by  his  de- 
cision. They  expected  that  he  would  come 
and  view  the  ground,  and  so  decide  where  it 
was  best  that  the  city  should  be  built,  and 
thus  terminate  the  controversy. 

But  Numitor  was  too  sagacious  to  hazard 
the  responsibility  of  deciding  between  two 
such  equally  matched  and  powerful  oppo- 
nents. He  endeavored  to  soothe  and  quiet  the 
excited  feelings  of  his  grandsons,  and  finally 
recommended  to  them  to  appeal  to  augury  to 
decide  the  question.  Augury  was  a  mode  of 
ascertaining  the  divine  will  in  respect  to 
questions  of  expediency  or  duty,  by  means 
of  certain  prognostications  and  signs.  These 
omens  were  of  various  kinds,  but  perhaps  the 
most  common  were  the  appearances  observed 
in  watching  the  flight  of  birds  through  the  air. 

It  was  agreed  between  Remus  and  Romn- 
.us,  in  accordance  with  the  advice  of  Numi- 
tor, that  the  question  at  issue  between  them 
should  be  decided  in  this  way.  They  were  to 
take  their  stations  on  the  two  hills  respect- 


2U  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

The  Toltnrw  of  the  App«nlnea.  Their  function. 

ively — the  Palatine  and  the  Aventine,  and 
watch  for  vultures.  The  homes  of  the  vul- 
tures  of  Italy  were  among  the  summits  of  the 
Appenines,  and  their  function  in  the  compli 
cated  economy  of  animal  life,  was  to  watch 
from  the  lofty  peaks  of  the  mountains,  or  from 
the  still  more  aerial  and  commanding  positions 
which  they  found  in  soaring  at  vast  elevations 
in  the  air,  for  the  bodies  of  the  dead, — 
whether  of  men  after  a  battle,  or  of  sheep,  or 
cattle,  or  wild  beasts  of  the  forests,  killed  by 
accident  or  dying  of  age, — and  when  found  tc 
remove  and  devour  them ;  and  thus  to  hasten 
the  return  of  the  lifeless  elements  to  other 
forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  life.  "What 
the  earth,  and  the  rite  of  burial,  effects  for 
man  in  advanced  and  cultivated  stages  of 
society,  the  vultures  of  the  Appenines  were 
commissioned  to  perform  for  all  the  animal 
communities  of  Italy,  in  Numitor's  time. 

To  enable  the  vulture  to  accomplish  the 
work  assigned  him,  he  is  endowed  with  an  in- 
conceivable strength  of  wing,  to  sustain  hii 
flight  over  the  vast  distances  which  he  has  to 
traverse,  and  up  to  the  vast  elevations  to 
which  he  must  sometimes  soar ;  and  also  with 
•ome  mysterious  and  extraordinary  sense 


B.C. 754.]     FOUNDING  OF  ROME.          ~21S 

Powan  at  tka  rultura.  Anfuriee- 

whether  of  sight  or  smell,  to  enable  him  read- 
ily to  find,  at  any  hour,  the  spot  where  hia 
presence  is  required,  however  remote  or  how- 
aver  hidden  it  may  be.  Guided  by  this  in- 
stinct, he  flies  from  time  to  time  with  a 
company  of  his  fellows,  from  mountain  tc 
mountain,  or  wheels  slowly  in  vast  circles 
over  the  plains — surveying  the  whole  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  assuredly  finding  his 
work ; — finding  it  too  equally  easily,  whether 
it  lie  exposed  in  the  open  field,  or  is  hidden, 
no  matter  how  secretly,  in  forest,  thicket, 
grove  or  glen. 

It  was,  to  certain  appearances,  indicated  in 
the  flight  of  these  birds — such  as  the  number 
that  were  seen  at  a  time,  the  quarter  of  the 
heavens  in  which  they  appeared,  the  direction 
in  which  they  flew,  as  from  left  to  right  or 
from  right  to  left — that  the  people  of  Numi- 
tor's  day  were  accustomed  to  look  for  omens 
and  auguries.  So  Romulus  and  Remus  took 
their  stations  on  the  hills  which  they  had 
teverally  chosen,  each  surrounded  by  a  com- 
pany of  his  own  adherents  and  friends,  and 
began  to  watch  the  skies.  It  was  agreed  that 
the  decision  of  the  question  between  the  two 
hills  should  be  determined  by  the  omens 


ROMTJLTJS.  [B.C.  754 


Romuhn  and  Remos  take  their  stations.  Remit. 

which  sh<  aid  appear  to  the  respective  ol>- 
servers  stationed  upon  them. 

But  it  happened,  unfortunately,  that  the 
rules  for  the  interpretation  of  auguries  and 
oinens,  were  far  too  indefinite  and  vague  to 
answer  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  now 
appealed  to.  The  most  unequivocal  distinct- 
ness and  directness  in  giving  its  responses  is  a 
very  essential  requisite  in  any  tribunal  that  is 
called  upon  as  an  umpire,  to  settle  disputes ; 
while  the  ancient  auguries  and  oracles  were 
always  susceptible  of  a  great  variety  of  inter- 
pretations. When  Remus  and  Romulus  com- 
menced their  watch  no  vultures  were  to  be 
Been  from  either  hill.  They  waited  till  eve- 
ning, still  none  appeared.  They  continued  to 
watch  through  the  night.  In  the  morning  a 
messenger  came  over  from  the  Palatine  hill 
to  Remus  on  the  Aventine,  informing  him 
that  vultures  had  appeared  to  Romulus.  Re- 
mus did  not  believe  it.  At  last,  however,  the 
birds  really  came  into  view ;  a  flock  of  six  were 
seen  by  Remus,  and  afterward  one  of  twelve 
by  Romulus.  The  observations  were  then  sue 
pended,  and  the  parties  came  together  to  con- 
fer in  respect  to  the  result ;  but  the  dispute 
instead  of  being  settled,  was  found  to  be  in  a 


B.C.  754.]     FOLDING  OF  ROME.  217 

Mew  dupute.  An  open  collision.  Fuutulu*  kfltoi. 

worse  condition  than  ever.  The  point  now  to 
be  determined  was  whether  six  vultures  seen 
first,  or  twelve  seen  afterward,  were  the  bet 
ter  omen,  that  is  whether  numbers,  or  simple 
priority  of  appearance,  should  decide  the 
question.  In  contending  in  respect  to  this 
nice  point  the  brothers  became  more  angry 
with  each  other  than  ever.  Their  respective 
partisans  took  sides  in  the  contest,  which  re- 
sulted finally  in  an  open  and  violent  collision. 
Romulus  and  Remus  themselves  seem  to  have 
commenced  the  affray  by  attacking  one  an- 
other. Faustulus,  their  foster-father,  who, 
from  having  had  the  care  of  them  from  their 
earliest  infancy,  felt  for  them  an  almost  pa- 
rental affection,  rushed  between  them  to  pre- 
vent them  from  shedding  each  other's  blood. 
He  was  struck  down  and  killed  on  the  spot, 
by  some  unknown  hand.  A  brother  of  Faus- 
tulus too,  named  Plistinus,  who  had  lived  near 
to  him,  and  had  known  the  boys  from  their 
infancy,  and  had  often  assisted  in  taking  care 
of  them,  was  killed  in  the  endeavor  to  aid  hii 
brother  to  appease  the  tumult. 

At  length  the  disturbance  was  quelled. 
The  result  of  the  conflict  was,  however,  to 
*how  that  Romulus  and  his  party  were  the 


218  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754. 

Romulu*  is  victorious.  The  building  of  the  ctty  goea  oa. 

strongest.  Romulus  accordingly  went  on  to 
build  the  walls  of  the  city  at  the  spot  which 
he  had  first  chosen.  The  lines  were  marked 
out,  and  the  excavations  were  commenced 
with  great  ceremony. 

In  laying  out  the  work,  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  draw  the  lines  of  what  was  called 
the  porru&riivm.  The  pomoerium  was  a  sort  of 
symbolical  wall,  and  was  formed  simply  by 
turning  a  furrow  with  a  plow  all  around  the 
city,  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  real 
walls,  for  the  purpose,  not  of  establishing 
lines  of  defense,  but  of  marking  out  what  were 
to  be  the  limits  of  the  corporation,  so  to  speak, 
for  legal  and  ceremonial  purposes.  Of  course, 
the  pomoBrium  included  a  much  greater  space 
than  the  real  walls,  and  the  people  were 
allowed  to  build  houses  anywhere  within  this 
outer  inclosure,  or  even  without  it,  though  not 
very  near  to  it.  Those  who  built  thus  were, 
of  course,  not  protected  in  case  of  an  attack, 
and  of  course  they  would,  in  such  case,  be 
compelled  to  abandon  their  houses,  and  re- 
treat for  safety  within  the  proper  walls. 

So  Romulus  proceeded  to  mark  out  the 
pomoenum  of  the  city,  employing  in  the  work 
the  ceremonies  customary  on  such  occasions 


B.C. 754.]     FOUNDING  OF  ROME.  219 

Plowing  the  pomcerium.  Form  of  the  enclosure 

The  plow  nsed  was  made  of  copper,  and  for  a 
team  to  draw  it  a  bullock  and  a  heifer  were 
yoked  together.  Men  appointed  for  the  pur- 
pose followed  the  plow,  and  carefully  turned 
over  the  clods  towwrd  the  wall  of  the  city. 
Phis  seems  to  have  been  considered  an 
essential  part  of  the  ceremony.  At  the  places 
where  roads  were  to  pass  in  toward  the  gates 
of  the  city,  the  plow  was  lifted  out  of  the 
ground  and  earned  over  the  requisite  space, 
so  as  to  leave  the  turf  at  those  points  un- 
broken. This  was  a  necessary  precaution; 
for  there  was  a  certain  consecrating  influence 
that  was  exerted  by  this  ceremonial  plowing 
which  hallowed  the  ground  wherever  it  pass- 
ed in  a  manner  that  would  very  seriously  in- 
terfere with  its  usefulness  as  a  public  road. 

The  form  of  the  space  inclosed  by  the 
pomoerium,  as  Romulus  plowed  it,  was  nearly 
square,  and  it  included  not  merely  the  Pala- 
tine hill  itself,  but  a  considerable  portion  of 
level  land  around  it. 

Though  Romulus  thus  seemed  to  have  con 
qnered,  in  the  strife  with  Remus,  the  difficulty 
was  not  yet  fully  settled.  Remus  was  very 
ittle  disposed  to  acquiesce  in  his  brother's 
assumed  superiority  over  him.  He  was  sullen, 


220  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

Ilia  demili  of  Remua  Remorse  of  Romulua. 

morose,  and  ill  at  ease,  and  was  inclined  tc 
take  little  part  in  the  proceedings  which  wore 
going  on.  Finally  an  occasion  occurred  which 
produced  a  crisis,  and  brought  the  rivalry  and 
enmity  of  the  brothers  suddenly  and  forever  to 
an  end.  Remus  was  one  day  standing  by  a  part 
of  the  wall  which  his  brother's  workmen  were 
building,  and  expressing,  in  various  ways,  and 
with  great  freedom,  his  opinions  of  his  broth- 
er's plans ;  and  finally  he  began  to  speak  con 
temptuously  of  the  wall  which  the  workmen 
were  building.  Romulus  all  the  time  was 
standing  by.  At  length,  in  order  to  enforce 
what  he  said  about  the  insufficiency  of  the 
work,  Remus  leaped  over  a  portion  of  it,  say- 
ing, "  This  is  the  way  the  enemy  will  leap 
over  your  wall."  Hereupon  Romulus  seized 
a  mattock  from  the  hands  of  one  of  the  labor- 
ers, and  struck  his  brother  down  to  the  ground 
witn  it,  saying,  "  And  this  is  the  way  that  we 
will  kill  them  if  they  do."  Remus  was  killed 
by  tae  blow. 

As  soon  as  the  deed  was  done,  Romulus  was 
at  once  overwhelmed  with  remorse  and  horror 
at  the  atrocity  of  the  crime  which  he  had  been 
so  suddenly  led  to  commit.  His  anguish  was 
so  ffreat  for  a  time  that  he  refused  all  food. 


B.C.  754.]     FOUNDING  OF  ROME.  821 


The  Institution  of  the  Lemurta. 


and  he  could  not  sleep.  He  caused  the  deed 
body  of  Remus,  and  also  those  of  Faustulu* 
and  of  Plistinus,  the  brother  of  Faustulus,  t» 
be  buried  with  the  most  solemn  and  imposinf 
funeral  ceremonies,  so  as  to  render  all  possi 
ble  honor  to  their  memory;  and  then,  not 
satisfied  with  this,  he  instituted  and  celebra- 
fed  certain  religious  rites,  to  prevent  the 
ghosts  of  the  deceased  from  coming  back  to 
haunt  him.  The  ghosts,  or  specters  of  the 
dead  that  came  back  to  haunt  and  terrify  the 
living  were  called  lem/u/res.  Hence  the  cele- 
bration which  Romulus  ordained  was  called 
the  Lemuria,  and  it  continued  to  be  annually 
observed  in  Rome  during  the  whole  period  of 
its  subsequent  history. 

Precisely  what  the  ceremonies  were  which 
Romulus  performed  to  appease  the  spirit  of 
his  brother  can  not  now  be  ascertained,  as 
there  was  no  particular  description  of  them 
recorded.  But  the  Lemuria,  as  afterward 
performed,  were  frequently  described  by  Ro- 
man writers,  and  they  were  of  a  very  curious 
and  extraordinary  character.  The  time  for 
the  celebration  of  these  rites  was  in  May,  the 
anniversary,  as  was  supposed,  of  the  days  in 
which  Romulus  originally  celebrated  them. 


222  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  754. 

Description  of  the  ceremonies.  The  black  beans. 

The  Lemurial  ceremonies  extended  through 
three  days,  or  rather  nights,  although,  for  some 
curious  reason  or  other,  they  were  alternate 
tnd  not  consecutive  nights.  They  were  the 
nights  of  the  ninth,  eleventh,  and  thirteenth 
of  May.  The  ceremonies  were  performed  in 
the  night,  for  the  reason  that  it  was  in  the 
dark  hours  that  ghosts  and  goblins  were  accus- 
tomed, as  was  supposed,  to  roam  about  the 
world  to  haunt  and  terrify  men. 

The  ceremonies  performed  on  these  occa- 
sions are  thus  described.  They  commenced 
at  midnight.  The  father  of  the  family  would 
rise  at  that  hour  and  go  out  at  the  door  of  the 
house,  making  certain  gesticulations  and  sig- 
nals with  his  hands,  which  were  supposed  to 
have  the  effect  of  keeping  the  specters  away. 
He  then  washed  his  hands  three  times  in  pure 
spring  water.  Then  he  filled  his  mouth  with 
a  certain  kind  of  black  beans  for  which  ghosts 
were  supposed  to  have  some  particular  fond- 
ness. Being  thus  provided  he  would  walk 
along,  taking  the  beans  out  of  his  mouth  as  he 
walked,  and  throwing  them  behind  him.  The 
specters  were  supposed  to  gather  up  these 
beans  as  he  threw  them  down.  He  must, 
however,  by  no  means  look  round  to  see  them. 


B.C.  754.]     FOUNDING  OF  KOMK.  223 

State  of  Rome  after  the  death  of  Remus. 

He  then,  after  speaking  certain  mysterious 
and  cabalistic  words,  washed  his  hands  again, 
and  then  making  a  frightful  noise  by  striking 
brass  basins  together,  he  shouted  out  nine 
times,  "  Ghosts  of  this  house  begone  !"  This 
was  supposed  effectually  to  drive  the  specters 
away — an  opinion  which  was  always  abun- 
dantly confirmed  by  the  fact ;  for  on  looking 
round  after  this  vociferated  adjuration,  the 
man  always  found  that  the  specters  were  gone ! 

When  by  these  ceremonies,  or  ceremonies 
such  as  these,  Romulus  had  appeased  the 
spirit  of  his  brother,  and  those  of  the  guard- 
ians of  his  childhood,  his  mind  became  more 
composed,  and  he  turned  his  attention  once 
more  toward  the  building  of  the  city.  The 
party  of  Remus  now,  of  course,  since  it  was 
deprived  of  its  head,  no  longer  maintained 
itself,  but  was  gradually  broken  up  and 
merged  in  the  general  mass.  Romulus  be- 
came the  sole  leader  of  the  enterprise,  and 
immediately  turned  his  attention  to  the  meas- 
ures to  be  adopted  for  a  moie  rcomplete  and 
effectual  organization  of  the  community  ovei 
which  he  found  himself  presiding. 

In  respect  to  Remus,  it  ought  perhaps  to  be 
added,  that  after  his  death  a  story  was  cirou- 


924  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754. 

The  story  of  Oeler.  Probable  explanation  of  1C 

lated  in  Koine  that  it  was  a  man  named  Celer 
and  not  .Romulus,  that  killed  him.  This  story 
das  not,  however,  been  generally  believed.  It 
has  been  thought  more  probable  that  Romulus 
himself,  or  some  of  his  partisans  and  friends, 
invented  and  circulated  the  story  of  Celer,  in 
order  to  screen  him  in  some  degree  from  the 
reproach  of  so  unnatural  a  crime  as  the  killing 
of  a  brother  so  near  and  dear  to  him  as  Remus 
had  been  ; — a  brother  who  had  shared  his  in- 
fancy with  him,  who  had  slept  with  him,  at 
the  same  time,  in  the  arms  of  his  mother,  who 
had  floated  with  him  down  the  Tiber  in  the 
same  ark,  been  saved  from  death  by  the  same 
miraculous  intervention,  and  through  all  the 
years  of  infancy,  childhood,  and  youth,  had 
been  his  constant  playmate,  companion,  and 
friend.  The  crime  was  as  much  more  atro- 
cious than  any  ordinary  fratricide,  as  Remus, 
had  been  nearer  to  Romulus  than  any  ordi- 
nary brother. 


B.C.  754.  J       OKGANIZATION.  225 


DiMOMdoa  ID  respect  to  ancient  dates. 


CHAPTEB  X. 
OKGANIZATION. 

FT1HERE  has  been  a  great  deal  of  philo- 
*•  sophical  discussion,  and  much  debate, 
among  historians  and  chronologists,  in  at- 
tempting to  fix  the  precise  year  in  which 
Romulus  commenced  the  building  of  Rome. 
The  difficulty  arises  from  the  fact,  that  no 
regular  records  of  public  events  were  made 
in  those  ancient  days.  In  modern  times 
such  records  are  very  systematically  kept, — 
an  express  object  of  them  being  to  preserve 
and  perpetuate  a  knowledge  of  the  exact 
truth  in  respect  to  the  time,  and  the  attendant 
circumstances,  relating  to  all  great  transac- 
tions. On  the  other  hand,  the  memory  of 
public  events  in  early  periods  of  the  world, 
was  preserved  only  through  tradition;  and 
tradition  cares  little  for  the  exact  and  the 
true.  She  seeks  only  for  what  is  entertaining. 
Her  function  being  simply  to  give  pleasure  to 
successive  generations  of  listeners,  by  exciting 
their  curiosity  and  wonder  with  tales. — which 
21—15 


226  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

Nature  of  tradition.  Extreme  youth  of  Romoftu. 

the  more  strange  and  romantic  they  are,  the 
better  they  are  suited  to  her  purpose — she 
concerns  herself  very  little  with  such  simple 
verities  as  dates  and  names.  The  erposure 
of  the  twin  infants  of  Rhea,  supposing  such 
ar  event  to  have  actually  happened,  she  re 
membered  well,  and  repeated  the  narrative 
of  it — adorning  it,  doubtless,  with  many  em- 
bellishments— from  age  to  age,  so  that  the 
whole  story  comes  down  to  modern  times  in 
full  detail ;  but  as  to  the  time  when  the  event 
took  place,  she  gave  herself  no  concern.  The 
date  would  have  added  nothing  to  the  ro- 
mance of  the  story,  and  thus  it  was  neglected 
and  forgotten. 

In  subsequent  times,  however,  when  regu- 
lar historical  annals  began  to  be  recorded, 
chronologists  attempted  to  reason  backward, 
from  events  whose  periods  were  known, 
through  various  data  which  they  ingeniously 
obtained  from  the  preceding  and  less  formal 
narratives,  until  they  obtained  the  dates  of 
earlier  events  by  a  species  of  calculation.  In 
this  way  the  time  for  the  building  of  Rome 
was  determined  to  t»e  about  the  year  754  bo- 
fore  Christ.  As  to  Romulus  himself,  the  tra- 
dition is  that  he  waa  but  Aighteen  or  twenty 


B.C.  7W.J        OBGANIZATION,  227 

Varro's  astrological  calculation.  Ingenuity  at  1U 

years  old  when  he  commenced  the  building 
of  it.  If  this  is  true,  his  extreme  youth  gooa 
far  to  palliate  some  of  the  wrongs  which  ht 
perpetrated — wrongs  which  would  have  been 
far  more  inexcusable  if  committed  with  the 
deliberate  purpose  of  middle  life,  than  if 
prompted  by  the  unthinking  impulses  and 
passions  of  eighteen. 

A  certain  Roman  philosopher,  named  Yar- 
ro,  who  lived  some  centuries  after  the  building 
of  the  city,  conceived  of  a  very  ingenious  plan 
for  discovering  the  year  in  which  Romulus 
was  born.  It  was  this.  By  means  of  the 
science  of  astrology,  as  practiced  in  those 
days,  certain  learned  magicians  used  to  pre- 
dict what  the  life  and  fortunes  of  any  man 
would  be,  from  the  aspects  and  phases  of  the 
planets  and  other  heavenly  bodies  at  the  time 
of  his  birth.  The  idea  of  Yarro  was  to  re- 
verse this  process  in  the  case  of  Romulus; 
that  is,  to  deduce  from  the  known  facts  of 
his  history  what  must  have  been  the  relative 
situations  of  the  planets  and  stars  when  he 
came  into  the  world !  He  accordingly  ap- 
plied to  a  noted  astrologer  to  work  out  the 
problem  for  him.  Given,  a  history  of  the 
incidents  and  events  occurring  to  the  man  in 


228  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  754. 

Olympiad*.  The  race  of  Coroebu*. 

his  progress  through  life ;  required,  the  exact 
condition  of  the  skies  when  the  child  was 
born.  In  other  words,  the  astrologer  was  to 
determine  what  must  have  been  the  relative 
positions  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  at  the 
birth  of  Romulus,  in  order  to  produce  a  being 
whose  life  should  exhibit  such  transactions 
and  events  as  those  which  appeared  in  Rom- 
ulus's  subsequent  history.  When  the  astrolo- 
ger had  thus  ascertained  the  condition  of  the 
skies  at  the  time  in  question,  the  astronomers^ 
as  Varro  concluded,  could  easily  calculate 
the  month  and  the  year  when  the  combina- 
tion must  have  occurred. 

Now,  it  was  the  custom  in  those  days  tc 
reckon  by  Olympiads,  which  were  periods  of 
four  years,  the  series  commencing  with  a  great 
victory  at  a  foot-race  in  Greece,  won  by  a 
tnan  named  Coroebus,  from  which  event 
originated  the  Olympian  games,  which  were 
afterward  celebrated  every  four  years,  and 
which  in  subsequent  ages  became  so  renown 
ed.  Tha  time  when  Coroebus  ran  his  race, 
and  thus  furnished  an  era  for  all  the  subse- 
quent chnnologists  and  historians  of  his 
country,  is  generally  regarded  as  about  the 
year  776  before  Christ ;  and  the  result  of  the 


B.C.  754.J        OKOANIZATION.  229 


The  recall  at  VMTO**  computation. 


calculations  of  Varro's  astrologer,  and  of  the 
astronomers  who  perfected  it,  was,  that  to  lead 
such  a  life  as  Romulus  led,  a  man  must  have 
been  born  at  a  time  corresponding  with  the 
first  year  of  the  second  Olympiad ;  that  Is, 
taking  off  from  776,  four  years,  for  the  first 
Olympiad,  the  first  year  of  the  second  Olym- 
piad would  be  772 ;  this  would  make  the  time 
of  his  birth  772  before  Christ ;  and  then  de- 
ducting eighteen  years  more,  for  the  age  of 
Romulus  when  he  began  to  build  his  wall,  we 
have  754  before  Christ  as  the  era  of  the  foun- 
dation of  Rome.  This  method  of  determining 
a  point  in  chronology  seems  so  absurd,  accord- 
ing to  the  ideas  of  the  present  day,  that  we 
can  hardly  resist  the  conclusion,  that  Yarro, 
in  making  his  investigation,  was  really  guided 
by  other  and  more  satisfactory  modes  of  de- 
termining the  point,  and  that  the  horoscope 
was  not  what  he  actually  relied  upon.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  the  era  which  he  fixed  upon 
has  been  very  generally  received,  though 
many  others  have  been  proposed  by  the  dif- 
ferent learned  men  who  have  successively  in- 
restigated  the  question. 

According  to  the  accounts  given  by  the 
early  writers,  the  constructions  which  Rorau- 


330  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

Probable  character  of  the  first  construction*  at  Bom*. 

his  and  his  companions  made  were  of  a  very 
rnde  and  simple  character;  such  as  might 
have  been  expected  from  a  company  of  boys  : 
for  boys  we  ought  perhaps  to  consider  them 
all,  since  it  is  not  to  be  presumed  that  the 
troop,  in  respect  to  age  and  experience,  would 
be  much  in  advance  of  the  leaders.  The  wall 
which  they  built  about  the  city  was  probably 
only  a  substantial  stone  fence,  and  their 
houses  were  huts  and  hovels.  Even  the  pal- 
ace, for  there  was  a  building  erected  for 
Romulus  himself  which  was  called  the  palace, 
was  made,-  it  is  said,  of  rushes.  Perhaps  the 
meaning  is  that  it  was  thatched  with  rushes, 
— or  possibly  the  expression  refers  to  a  mode 
of  building  sometimes  adopted  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  civilization,  in  which  straw,  or 
rushes,  or  some  similar  material  is  mixed  with 
mud  or  clay  to  help  bind  the  mass  together, 
the  whole  being  afterward  dried  in  the  sun. 
"Walls  thus  made  have  been  found  to  possess 
much  more  strength  and  durability  than 
would  be  supposed  possible  for  such  a  mate 
rial  to  attain. 

However  this  may  be,  the  hamlet  of  huta 
which  Romulus  and  his  wild  coadjutors  ouilt 
and  walled  in,  must  have  appeared,  at  the 


B.C.  754.  J        OKOANIZATION.  231 

Romulus  convene*  an  assembly  of  the  people. 

time,  to  all  observers,  a  very  rude  and  imper- 
fect attempt  at  building  a  city;  in  fact  it 
must  have  seemed  to  them,  if  it  is  true  that 
Romulus  was  at  that  time  only  eighteen  years 
old,  more  like  a  frolic  of  thoughtless  boys 
than  a  serious  enterprise  of  men.  Romulus, 
however,  whatever  others  may  have  thought 
of  his  work,  was  wholly  in  earnest.  He  felt 
that  he  was  a  prince,  and  proud  of  his  birth, 
and  fully  conscious  of  his  intellectual  and 
personal  power,  he  determined  that  he  would 
have  a  kingdom. 

It  seems,  however,  that  thus  far  he  had  not 
been  considered  as  possessing  any  thing  like 
regal  authority  over  his  company  of  followers, 
but  had  been  regarded  only  as  a  sort  of  chief- 
tain exercising  an  undefined  and  temporary 
power ;  for  as  soon  as  the  huts  were  built  and 
the  inclosures  made,  he  is  said  to  have  con- 
vened an  assembly  of  the  people,  for  consul- 
tation in  respect  to  the  plan  of  government 
that  they  should  form.  Romulus  introduced 
the  business  of  this  meeting  by  a  speech  ap> 
propriate  to  the  occasion,  which  speech  is  re- 
ported ay  an  ancient  historian  somewhat  as 
follows.  Whether  Romulus  actually  spoke 
tha  words  thus  attributed  to  him,  o^  whetlxw 


232  K  OMUL  us.  [B.C.  754 

The  ipeeob  of  Romulm.  His  proponte. 

the  report  contains  only  what  the  reporter 
himself  imagined  him  to  say,  there  is  now  no 
means  of  knowing. 

"  We  have  now,"  said  Romulus,  according 
to  this  record,  "  completed  the  building  of  our 
city,  so  far  as  at  present  we  are  able  to  do  it ; 
and  it  must  be  confessed  that  if  we  were  re- 
quired to  depend  for  protection  against  a  se- 
rious attack  from  an  enemy,  on  the  height  of 
our  walls,  or  on  their  strength  and  solidity, 
our  prospects  would  not  be  very  encouraging. 
But  our  walls  we  must  remember  are  not  what 
we  rely  upon.  No  walls  can  be  so  high,  that 
an  enemy  can  not  scale  them.  The  depend- 
ence must  be  after  all  on  the  men  within  the 
city,  and  not  on  the  ramparts  and  entrench- 
ments which  surround  it,  whatever  those  ram 
parts  and  entrenchments  may  be.  "We  must 
therefore  rely  upon  ourselves,  for  our  safety  • 
— upon  our  valor,  our  discipline,  our  union 
and  harmony.  It  is  courage  and  energy  in 
the  people,  not  strength  in  outward  defenses, 
on  which  the  safety  and  prosperity  of  a  State 
must  depend. 

"  The  great  work  before  us  therefore  is  yei 
to  be  done.  We  have  to  organize  a  govern- 
ment under  which  order  and  discipline  waj 


B.C.  754.]        ORGANIZATION.  233 


The  three  forms  of  government. 


come  in,  to  control  and  direct  our  energies, 
and  prepare  us  to  meet  whatever  future  exi- 
gencies may  arise,  whether  of  peace  or  war. 
What  form  shall  be  given  to  this  government 
is  the  question  that  you  have  now  to  consider. 
I  have  learned  by  inquiry  that  there  are  va- 
rious modes  of  government  adopted  among 
men,  and  between  these  we  have  now  to  de- 
cide. Shall  our  commonwealth  be  governed 
by  one  man?  Or  shall  we  select  a  certain 
number  of  the  wisest  and  bravest  of  the  citi 
zens,  and  commit  the  administration  of  public 
affairs  to  them  ?  Or,  in  the  third  place,  shall 
we  commit  the  management  of  the  govern- 
ment to  the  control  of  the  people  at  large? 
Each  of  these  three  forms  has  its  advantages, 
and  each  is  attended  with  its  own  peculiar 
dangers.  You  are  to  choose  between  them. 
Only  when  the  decision  is  once  made,  let  us 
all  unite  in  maintaining  the  government 
which  shall  be  established,  whatever  its  form 
may  be." 

The  result  of  the  deliberation  which  fol.  ow 
ed,  after  the  delivery  of  this  address,  was  that 
the  government  of  the  state  should  be,  like 
the  government  of  Alba,  under  which  the  fol- 
lowers of  Romulus  had  been  born,  a  monar- 


234:  KOMTJLUB.  [13.0. 754. 

B  jmu) tu  himself  made  king. 

chy ;  and  that  Romulus  himself  should  b« 
king  He  was  a  prince  by  birth,  an  inheritor 
)f  regal  rank  and  power,  by  regular  succes- 
ion,  from  a  line  of  kings.  He  had  shown 
himself,  too,  by  his  deeds,  to  be  worthy  of 
power.  He  was  courageous,  energetic,  saga- 
cious, and  universally  esteemed.  It  was  de- 
cided accordingly  that  he  should  be  king,  and 
he  was  proclaimed  such  by  all  the  assembled 
multitude,  with  long  and  loud  acclamations. 
Notwithstanding  the  apparent  unanimity 
and  earnestness  of  the  people,  however,  in 
calling  Romulus  to  the  throne,  he  evinced,  as 
the  story  goes,  the  proper  degree  of  that  re- 
luctance and  hesitation  which  a  suitable  re- 
gard to  appearances  seems  in  all  ages  to  re- 
quire of  public  men  when  urged  to  accept  of 
power.  He  was  thankful  to  the  people  for 
the  marks  of  their  confidence,  but  he  could 
not  consent  to  assume  the  responsibilities  and 
prerogatives  of  power  until  the  choice  made 
by  his  countrymen  had  been  confirmed  by  the 
divinities  of  the  land.  So  he  resolved  on  in 
stituting  certain  solemn  religious  ceremonies, 
during  the  progress  of  which  he  hoped  to  re- 
ceive some  manifestation  of  the  divine  wilL 
These  ceremonies  consisted  principally  of  sac 


tf.C.  754.]        ORGANIZATION.  235 

DrrliM  Intimation  In  his  faror.  Commencement  of  hiB  niftL 

rifices  which  he  caused  to  be  offered  on  the 
plain  near  the  city.  While  Romulus  was  en- 
gaged in  these  services,  the  expected  token 
of  the  divine  approval  appeared  in  a  super- 
natural light  which  shone  upon  his  hand.  At 
least  it  was  said  that  such  a  light  was  seen, 
and  the  appearing  of  it  was  considered  as 
clearly  confirming  the  right  of  Romulus  to  the 
throne.  He  no  longer  made  any  objection  to 
assuming  the  government  of  the  new  city  as 
its  acknowledged  king. 

The  first  object  to  which  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion was  the  organization  of  the  people,  and 
the  framing  of  the  general  constitution  of 
society.  The  community  over  which  he  was 
called  to  preside  had  consisted  thus  far  of 
very  heterogeneous  and  discordant  materials. 
Vast  numbers  of  the  people  were  of  the  hum- 
blest and  most  degraded  condition,  consisting 
of  ignorant  peasants,  some  stupid,  others  tur- 
bulent and  ungovernable;  and  of  refugees 
from  justice,  such  as  thieves,  robbers,  and 
outlaws  of  every  degree.  But  then,  on  th« 
other  hand,  there  were  many  persons  cf  stand 
ing  and  respectability.  The  sons  of  families 
of  wealth  and  influence  in  Alba  had,  in  many 
cases,  joined  the  expedition,  and  at  last,  when 


236  KOMULUS.  [.B.C.  764 

Probable  origin  of  the  Roman  institution*. 

the  building  of  the  city  had  advanced  so  far 
as  to  make  it  appear  that  the  enterprise  might 
succeed,  more  men  of  age  and  character  cauie 
to  join  it,  so  that  Romulus  found  himself, 
when  he  formally  assumed  the  kingly  power, 
at  the  head  of  a  community  which  contained 
the  elements  of  a  very  respectable  common- 
wealth. These  elements  were,  however,  thus 
far  all  mingled  together  in  complete  confu- 
sion, and  the  work  that  was  first  to  be  done 
was  to  adopt  some  plan  for  classifying  and 
arranging  them. 

It  is  most  probable,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that 
the  organization  and  the  institutions  which  in 
subsequent  times  appeared  in  the  Roman 
state,  were  not  deliberately  planned  and  for- 
mally introduced  by  Romulus  at  the  outset, 
but  that  they  gradually  grew  up  in  the  pro- 
gress of  time,  and  that  afterward  historians 
and  philosophers,  in  speculating  upon  them 
at  their  leisure,  carried  back  the  history  of 
them  to  the  earliest  times,  in  order,  by  so 
doing,  to  honor  the  founder  of  the  city,  and 
also  to  exalt  and  aggrandize  the  institutions 
themselves  in  public  estimation,  by  celebrat- 
ing the  antiquity  and  dignity  of  their  origin. 

The  institutions  which  Romulus   actually 


B.C.  754.]        ORGANIZATION.  237 

Republican  character  of  the  government. 

founded,  were  of  a  very  republican  character, 
if  the  accounts  of  subsequent  writers  are  to 
be  believed.  He  established,  it  is  true,  a  gra- 
dation of  ranks,  but  the  most  important  offices, 
civil  and  military,  were  filled,  it  is  said,  by 
election  on  the  part  of  the  people.  In  the 
first  place,  the  whole  population  was  divided 
into  three  portions,  which  were  called  tribes, 
which  word  was  formed  from  the  Latin  word 
t/res,  meaning  three.  These  tribes  chose  each 
three  presiding  officers,  selecting  for  the  pur- 
pose the  oldest  and  most  distinguished  of  their 
number.  It  is  probable,  in  fact,  that  Romu- 
lus himself  really  made  the  selection,  and  that 
the  action  of  the  people  was  confined  to  some 
sort  of  expression  of  assent  and  concurrence 
for  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  any  othei 
kind  of  election  than  this  could  be  possible 
among  so  rude  and  ignorant  a  multitude. 
The  tribes  were  then  subdivided  each  into 
thirty  cownta  or  cotwities,  and  each  of  these 
likewise  elected  its  head.  Thus  there  was  a 
targe  body  of  magistrates  or  chieftains  ap- 
pointed, ninety-nine  in  number,  namely,  nine 
heads  of  tribes  and  ninety  heads  of  counties. 
Romulus  himself  added  one  to  the  number, 
of  his  own  independenf  selection,  which  mud* 


238  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

Patrician*  and  plebiaas.  Patron*  and  ollenU. 

the  hundredth.  The  men  thus  chosen,  con- 
Btituted  what  was  called  the  senate.  Thej 
formed  the  great  legislative  council  of  the  na- 
tion. They  and  the  families  descending  from 
them  became,  in  subsequent  times,  an  aristo- 
cratic and  privileged  class,  called  the  Patri- 
cians. The  remaining  portion  of  the  popula- 
tion were  called  Plebeians. 

The  Plebeians  comprised,  of  course,  the  In- 
dustrial and  useful  classes,  and  were  in  rank 
and  station  inferior  to  the  Patricians.  They 
were,  however,  not  all  upon  a  level  with  each 
other,  for  they  were  divided  into  two  great 
classes,  called  patrons  and  clients.  The  pa- 
trons were  the  employers,  the  proprietors,  the 
men  of  influence  and  capital.  The  clients 
were  the  employed,  the  dependent,  the  poor. 
The  clients  were  to  perform  services  of  various 
kinds  for  the  patrons,  and  the  patrons  were  tc 
reward,  to  protect,  and  to  defend  the  clients. 
All  these  arrangements  Romulus  is  said  to 
have  ordained  by  his  enactments,  and  thus 
introduced  as  elements  in  the  social  constitu 
tion  of  the  state.  It  is  more  probable,  how- 
ever, that  instead  of  being  thus  expressly  es- 
tablished, by  the  authority  of  Romulus  as  & 
lawgiver,  they  gradually  grew  up  of  them 


B.C.  754.]        ORGANIZATION.  239 

Duration  of  the  reign  of  Romulus.  UHfee. 

selves,  perhaps  with  some  fostering  attention 
and  care  on  his  part,  and  possibly  under  some 
positive  regulation  of  law.  For  such  impor- 
tant and  complicated  relations  as  these  are 
not  of  a  nature  to  be  easily  called  into  exist- 
ence and  action,  in  an  extended  and  unorgan- 
ized community,  by  the  mere  fiat  of  a  mili- 
tary chieftain. 

Perhaps,  however,  it  is  not  intended  by  the 
ancient  historians,  in  referring  all  these  com 
plicated  arrangements  of  the  Roman  civil  pol- 
ity to  the  enactments  of  Romulus,  to  convey 
the  idea  that  he  introduced  them  at  once  in 
all  their  completeness,  at  the  outset  of  his 
reign.  Romulus  continued  king  of  Rome  for 
nearly  forty  years,  and  instead  of  making  for- 
mal and  positive  enactments,  he  may  have 
gradually  introduced  the  arrangements  as- 
cribed to  him,  as  usages  which  he  fostered 
and  encouraged, — confirming  and  sanctioning 
them  from  time  to  time,  when  occasion  re- 
quired, by  edicts  and  laws. 

However  this  may  have  been,  it  is  certain 
that  Romulus,  in  the  course  of  his  reign,  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  future  greatness  and 
glory  of  Rome,  by  the  energy  with  which  he 
acted  in  introducing  order,  system,  and  disci 


240  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

Difficulty  of  immediately  organizing  such  a  community. 

pline  into  the  community  which  he  found 
gathered  arcund  him.  He  seems  to  have  had 
the  sagacity  to  perceive  from  the  outset  that 
the  great  evil  and  danger  which  he  had  to 
fear  was  the  prevalence  of  the  spirit  of  disor 
ier  and  misrule  among  his  followers.  In  fact, 
nothing  but  tumult  and  confusion  was  to  have 
been  expected  from  such  a  lawless  horde  as 
his,  and  even  after  the  city  was  built,  the 
presumption  must  have  been  very  strong  in 
the  mind  of  any  considerate  and  prudent  man, 
against  the  possibility  of  ever  regulating  and 
controlling  such  a  mass  of  heterogeneous  and 
discordant  materials,  by  any  human  means. 
Romulus  saw,  however,  that  in  effecting  this 
purpose  lay  the  only  hope  of  the  success  of 
his  enterprise,  and  he  devoted  himself  with 
great  assiduity  and  care,  and  at  the  same  time 
with  great  energy  and  success,  to  the  work 
of  organizing  it.  The  great  leading  objects  of 
his  life,  from  tne  time  that  he  commenced  the 
government  of  the  new  city,  were  to  arrange 
and  regulate  social  institutions,  to  establish 
laws,  to  introduce  discipline,  to  teach  and  ac- 
custom men  to  submit  to  authority,  and  to 
bring  in  the  requirements  of  law,  and  the 
authority  of  the  various  recognized  relation? 


B.C.  754.]        ORGANIZATION.  241 

Importance  of  the  parental  and  family  relation. 

of  social  life,  to  control  and  restrain  the  way- 
ward impulses  of  the  natural  heart. 

As  a  part  of  this  system  of  policy,  he  laid 
great  stress  upon  the  parental  and  family  rela- 
tion. He  saw  in  the  tie  which  binds  the  father 
to  the  child  and  the  child  to  the  father,  a  nat- 
ural bond  which  he  foresaw  would  greatly  aid 
him  in  keeping  the  turbulent  and  boisterous 
propensities  of  human  nature  under  some 
proper  control.  He  accordingly  magnified 
and  confirmed  the  natural  force  of  parental 
authority  by  adding  the  sanctions  of  law  to  it. 
He  defined  and  established  the  power  of  the 
father  to  govern  and  control  the  son,  rightly 
considering  that  the  father  is  the  natural  ally 
of  the  state  in  restraining  young  men  from 
violence,  and  enforcing  habits  of  industry  and 
order  upon  them,  at  an  age  when  they  most 
need  control.  He  clothed  parents,  therefore, 
with  authority  to  fulfill  this  function,  consider 
ing  that  what  he  thus  aided  them  to  do,  was 
so  much  saved  for  the  civil  magistrate  and 
the  state.  In  fact,  he  carried  this  so  far  that 
it  is  said  that  the  dependence  of  the  child 
upon  the  father,  under  the  institutions  of 
Romulus,  was  more  complete,  and  was  pro- 
tracted to  a  later  period  than  was  the  case 

21—16 


24:2  ROMULUS.  [B.G.  754. 

The  father  a  magistrate.  The  marriage  tie. 

under  the  laws  of  any  other  nation.  The 
power  of  the  father  over  his  household  was 
supreme.  He  was  a  magistrate,  so  far  as  his 
children  were  concerned,  and  could  thus  not 
only  require  their  services,  and  inflict  light 
punishments  for  disobedience  upon  them,  as 
with  us,  but  he  could  sentence  them  to  the 
severest  penalties  of  the  law,  if  guilty  of 
crime. 

The  laws  were  equally  stringent  in  respect 
to  the  marriage  tie.  Death  was  the  penalty 
for  the  violation  of  the  marriage  vows.  All 
property  belonging  to  the  husband  and  to  the 
wife  was  held  by  them  in  common,  and  the 
wife,  if  she  survived  the  husband,  and  if  th«j 
husband  died  without  a  will,  became  his  sole 
heir.  In  a  word,  the  laws  of  Romulus  evince 
a  very  strong  desire  on  the  part  of  the  legis 
lator  to  sustain  the  sacredness  and  to  magnify 
the  importance  of  the  family  tie  ;  and  to  avail 
himself  of  those  instinctive  principles  of  obli- 
gation and  duty  which  so  readily  arise  in  the 
human  mind  out  of  the  various  relations  of  the 
family  state,  in  the  plans  which  he  formed  for 
subduing  the  impulses  and  regulating  the  ac- 
tion of  his  rude  community. 

He  devoted  great  attention  too  to  the  instf  tn 


B.C.  754.]        OBGAWIZATION.  243 

Religion!  oeremontee.  AuguriM.  The  three  augun. 

tions  of  religion.  He  knew  well  that  such  law- 
less and  impetuous  spirits  as  his  could  never 
be  fully  subdued  and  held  in  proper  subor- 
dination to  the  rules  of  social  order  and  moral 
duty,  without  the  influence  of  motives  drawn 
from  the  spiritual  world  ;  and  he  accordingly 
adopted  vigorous  measures  for  confirming  and 
perpetuating  such  religious  observances  as 
were  at  that  time  observed,  and  in  introducing 
others.  Every  public  act  which  he  performed 
was  always  accompanied  and  sanctioned  by 
religious  solemnities.  The  rites  and  ceremo- 
nies which  he  instituted  seem  puerile  to  us, 
but  they  were  full  of  meaning  and  of  efficacy 
in  the  view  of  those  who  performed  them. 
There  was,  for  example,  a  class  of  religious 
functionaries  called  augurs,  whose  office  it  was 
to  interpret  the  divine  will  by  means  of  cer- 
tain curious  indications  which  it  was  their 
special  profession  to  understand.  There  were 
three  of  these  augurs,  and  they  were  employed 
on  all  public  occasions,  both  in  peace  and 
war,  to  ascertain  from  the  omens  whether  the 
enterprise  or  the  work  in  regard  to  which  they 
were  consulted  was  or  was  not  favored  by  the 
councils  of  heaven.  If  the  augury  was  pro- 
pitious the  work  was  entered  upon  with  vigor 


244  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754 

Various  kind*  of  omen*.  Station  of  the  auffnra. 

and  confidence.     If  otherwise,  it  was  post- 
poned or  abandoned. 

The  omens  which  the  augurs  observed  were 
of  various  kinds,  being  drawn  sometimes  from 
certain  peculiarities  in  the  form  and  structure 
of  the  internal  organs  of  animals  offered  in 
.  sacrifice,  sometimes  from  the  appearance  of 
birds  in  the  sky,  their  numbers  or  the  direc- 
tion of  their  flight,  and  sometimes  from  the 
forms  of  clouds,  the  appearance  of  the  light- 
ning, and  the  sound  of  the  thunder.  When- 
ever the  augurs  were  to  take  the  auspices 
from  any  of  the  signs  of  the  sky,  the  process 
was  this.  They  would  go  with  solemn  cere- 
mony to  some  high  place — in  Rome  there  was 
a  station  expressly  consecrated  to  this  purpose 
on  the  Capitoline  hill, — and  there,  with  a  sort 
of  magical  wand  which  they  had  for  the  pur- 
pose, one  of  the  number  would  determine  and 
indicate  the  four  quarters  of  the  heaven, 
pointing  out  in  a  solemn  manner  the  direc- 
tions of  east,  west,  north  and  south.  Th« 
augur  would  then  take  his  stand  with  his  oack 
to  the  west  and  his  face  of  course  to  the  east 
The  north  would  then  be  on  his  left  hand  and 
the  south  at  his  right.  He  would  then,  in 
this  position  watch  for  the  signs.  If  it  was 


B.C.  754.J        OKGANIZATION.  245 

rhnnder  and  lightning.      Bird*.      Nature  of  the  ancient  superstition. 

from  the  thunder  that  the  auspices  were  to  be 
taken,  the  augur  would  listen  to  hear  from 
what  quarter  of  the  heavens  it  came.  If  the 
lightning  appeared  in  the  east  and  the  sound 
of  the  thunder  seemed  to  come  from  the 
northward,  the  presage  was  favorable.  So  it 
was  if  the  chain  of  lightning  seen  in  the  sky 
appeared  to  pass  from  cloud  to  cloud  above, 
instead  of  descending  to  the  ground.  On  the 
other  hand,  thunder  sounding  as  if  it  came 
from  the  southward,  and  lightning  striking 
down  to  the  earth,  were  both  unpropitious 
omens.  As  to  birds,  some  were  of  good  omen, 
as  vultures,  eagles  and  woodpeckers.  Others 
were  evil,  as  ravens  and  owls.  Various  infer- 
ences were  drawn  too  from  the  manner  in 
which  the  birds  that  appeared  in  the  air,  were 
Been  to  fly,  and  from  the  sound  of  their  note 
at  the  time  when  the  observation  was  made. 

By  these  and  many  similar  means  the  gov- 
ernment of  Romulus  vainly  endeavored  to 
ascertain  the  will  of  heaven  in  respect  to  the 
plans  and  enterprises  in  which  they  were 
called  upon  from  time  to  time  to  engage. 
There  was  perhaps  in  these  observances  much 
imposture,  and  much  folly ;  still  they  could 
only  have  been  sustained,  in  their  influence 


||  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  754. 

Results  of  the  arrangements  made  by  Romulus. 

and  ascendency  over  the  minds  of  the  people, 
by  a  sincere  veneration  on  their  part  for  some 
unseen  and  spiritual  power,  and  a  reverent 
desire  to  conform  the  public  measures  of  their 
government  to  what  they  supposed  to  bo  the 
divine  will. 

By  such  measures  as  we  have  thus  described 
Romulus  soon  produced  order  out  of  confu 
eion  within  his  little  commonwealth.  The  en 
terprise  which  he  had  undertaken  and  the 
great  success  which  had  thus  far  followed  it, 
attracted  great  attention,  and  he  soon  found 
that  great  numbers  began  to  come  in  from  all 
the  surrounding  country  to  join  him.  Many 
of  these  were  persons  of  still  worse  character 
than  those  who  had  adhered  to  him  at  first, 
and  he  soon  found  that  to  admit  them  indis- 
criminately into  the  city  would  be  to  endan- 
ger the  process  of  organization  which  was  now 
BO  well  begun.  He  accordingly  set  apart  a 
hill  near  to  his  city  called  the  Capitoline  hill, 
as  an  asylum  for  them,  where  they  could  re- 
main in  safety  under  regulations  suitable  to 
their  condition,  and  without  interfering  with 
the  arrangements  which  he  had  made  for  the 
rest.  This  asylum  soon  became  a  very  at- 
tractive place  for  all  the  vagabonds,  outlaws. 


B.C.  754.]        ORGANIZATION.  247 


The  aaylum  on  the  Capltollne  hill. 


thieves  and  robbers  of  the  country.  Romulus 
welcomed  them  all,  and  as  fast  as  they  came 
he  busied  himself  with  plans  to  furnish  them 
with  employment  and  subsistence.  He  en- 
listed some  of  them  in  his  army.  Some  he 
employed  to  cultivate  the  ground  in  the  terri- 
tory belonging  to  the  city.  Others  were  en- 
gaged as  servants  for  the  people  within  the 
walls — being  taken  into  the  city,  in  small 
numbers,  from  time  to  time,  as  fast  as  they 
could  be  safely  received.  In  process  of  time, 
however,  the  walls  of  the  city  were  extended 
so  as  to  include  the  Capitoline  hill,  and  thus 
at  last  the  whole  mass  was  brought  into  Rome 
together. 


248  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  351. 

Tt«  rape  of  the  Sablnes.  Narrmtlr*  of  It 


CHAPTER  XL 
WIVES. 

IT^YERY  reader  who  has  made  even  the 
••— *  smallest  beginning  in  the  stndy  of  an- 
cient history,  must  be  acquainted,  in  general, 
with  the  mode  which  Komulus  adopted  to 
provide  the  people  of  his  city  with  wives,  by 
the  transaction  which  is  commonly  called  in 
history  the  rape  of  the  Sabines.  The  deed 
itself,  as  it  actually  occurred,  may  perhaps 
have  been  one  of  great  rudeness,  violence, 
and  cruelty.  If  so,  the  historians  who  de- 
scribed it  contrived  to  soften  the  character  of 
it,  and  to  divest  it  in  a  great  measure  of  the 
repulsive  features  which  might  have  been 
supposed  to  characterize  such  a  transaction, 
for,  according  to  the  narrative  which  they 
give  us,  the  whole  proceeding  was  conducted 
ic  such  a  manner  as  to  evince  not  only  great 
ingenuity  and  sagacity  on  the  part  of  Romulus 
and  his  government,  but  also  great  modera- 
tion and  humanity.  The  circumstances,  as 
the  historians  relate  them,  were  these : 


U.0. 351.J  WIVES.  248 

The  population  of  Rome  chiefly  men. 

As  might  naturally  be  supposed  from  the 
manner  in  which  the  company  which  formed 
the  population  of  Rome  had  been  collected,  it 
consisted  at  first  almost  wholly  of  men.  The 
aws  and  regulations  referred  to  in  the  last 
chapter,  in  respect  to  the  family  relation,  were 
those  framed  after  the  organization  of  the 
community  had  become  somewhat  advanced, 
since  at  the  outset  there  could  be  very  few 
families,  inasmuch  as  the  company  which  first 
met  together  to  build  the  city,  consisted 
simply  of  an  army  of  young  men.  It  is  true 
that  among  those  who  joined  them  at  first 
there  were  some  men  of  middle  life  and  some 
families, — still,  as  is  always  the  case  with  new 
cities  and  countries  suddenly  and  rapidly 
settled,  the  population  consisted  almost  en- 
tirely of  men. 

It  was  necessary  that  the  men  should  have 
wives.  There  were  several  reasons  for  this. 
First,  it  was  necessary  for  the  comfort  and 
happiness  of  the  people  themselves.  A  com- 
munity of  mere  men  is  gloomy  and  desolate 
Secondly,  for  the  continuance  and  perpetuity 
of  the  state  it  was  necessary  that  there  should 
be  wives  and  children,  so  that  when  one  gene- 
ration should  have  passed  away  there  might 


250  KOMULTJS.  [B.C.  351. 

Heoenltjr  of  providing  wive*  for  them. 

be  another  to  succeed  it.  And,  thirdly,  for 
the  preservation  of  order  and  law.  Men  un- 
married are,  in  the  mass,  proverbially  un- 
goyernable.  Nothing  is  so  effectual  in  keep- 
ing a  citizen  away  from  scenes  of  tumult  and 
riot  as  a  wife  and  children  at  home.  The 
fearful  violence  of  the  riots  and  insurrections 
of  which  the  city  of  Paris  has  so  often  been 
the  scene,  is  explained,  in  a  great  degree,  by 
the  circumstance  that  so  immense  a  propoi  tion 
of  the  population  are  unmarried.  They  have 
no  homes,  and  no  defenseless  wives  and  chil- 
dren to  fear  for,  and  so  they  fear  nothing,  but 
give  themselves  up,  in  times  of  public  excite- 
ment, to  the  wildest  impulses  of  passion. 
Romulus  seems  to  have  understood  this,  and 
hie  first  care  was  to  provide  the  way  by  which 
as  many  as  possible  of  his  people  should  be 
married. 

The  first  measure  which  he  adopted,  was  to 
send  ambassadors  around  to  the  neighboring 
states,  soliciting  alliances  with  them,  and 
stipulations  allowing  of  intermarriages  be- 
tween his  people  and  theirs.  The  proposal 
seemed  not  unreasonable,  and  it  was  made  in 
an  unassuming  and  respectful  manner.  In  the 
message  which  Romulus  commissioned  the 


B.C.  351]  WIVES.  251 

Romulus  send*  ambassadors  to  the  lurroundlng  states. 

embassadors  to  deliver,  he  admitted  that  his 
colony  was  jet  small,  and  by  no  means  equal 
in  influence  and  power  to  the  kingdoms  whose 
alliance  he  desired ;  but  he  reminded  those 
whom  he  addressed  that  great  results  came 
sometimes  in  the  end  from  very  inconsiderable 
beginnings,  and  that  their  enterprise  thus  far, 
though  yet  in  its  infancy,  had  been  greatly 
prospered,  and  was  plainly  an  object  of  divine 
favor,  and  that  the  time  might  not  be  far  dis- 
tant when  the  new  state  would  be  able  fully 
to  reciprocate  such  favors  as  it  might  now  re- 
ceive. 

The  neighboring  kings  to  whom  these  em- 
bassages  were  sent  rejected  the  proposals  with 
derision.  They  did  not  even  give  serious 
answers,  obviously  considering  the  new  city 
as  a  mere  temporary  gathering  and  encamp- 
ment of  adventurers  and  outlaws,  which  would 
be  as  transient  as  it  was  rude  and  irregular. 
They  looked  to  see  it  break  up  as  suddenly 
and  tuniultuously  as  it  had  been  formed. 
They  accordingly  sent  back  word  to  Romulus 
that  he  niufit  reeort  to  the  same  plan  to  get 
women  for  his  city  that  he  had  adopted  to 
procure  recruits  of  men.  He  must  open  an 
a&ylwm  for  them.  The  low  and  the  dissolute 


252  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  351 

Insulting  repllea.  Angwr  of  the  Romans. 

would  come  flocking  to  him  then,  they  said, 
from  all  parts,  and  vagabond  women  would 
make  just  the  kind  of  wives  for  vagabond 
ihen. 

Of  course,  the  young  men  of  the  city  were 
aroused  to  an  extreme  pitch  of  indignation 
at  receiving  this  response.  They  were  clamo- 
rous for  war.  They  wished  Romulus  to  lead 
them  out  against  some  of  these  cities  at  once, 
and  allow  them  at  the  same  time  to  revenge 
the  insults  which  they  had  received,  and  to 
provide  themselves  with  wives  by  violence, 
since  they  could  not  obtain  them  by  solicita- 
tion. But  Romulus  restrained  their  ardor, 
saying  that  they  must  do  nothing  rashly,  and 
promising  to  devise  a  better  way  than  theirs 
to  attain  the  end. 

The  plan  which  he  devised  was  to  invite 
the  people  of  the  surrounding  states  and  cities 
both  men  and  women,  to  come  to  Rome,  with 
a  view  of  seizing  some  favorable  occasion  for 
capturing  the  women  while  they  were  there, 
and  driving  the  men  away.  The  difficulty  in 
the  way  of  the  execution  of  this  plan  was  ob- 
viously to  induce  the  people  to  come,  and  es- 
pecially to  bring  the  young  women  with  them. 
The  native  timidity  of  the  maidens,  joined  to 


B.C.  351.]  WIVES.  253 

Great  dlscorery  made  by  Romulua.  Hta  plan. 

the  contemptuous  feelings  which  their  fathers 
and  brothers  cherished,  in  regard  to  every 
thing  pertaining  to  the  new  city,  would  very 
naturally  keep  them  away,  unless  something 
could  be  devised  which  would  exert  a  very 
strong  attraction. 

Romulus  waited  a  little  time,  in  order  that 
any  slight  excitement  which  had  been  pro 
duced  by  his  embassy  should  have  had  time 
to  subside,  and  then  he  made,  or  pretended  to 
make,  a  great  discovery  in  a  field  not  far  from 
his  town.    This  discovery  was  the  finding  of  an 
ancient  altar  of  Neptune,  under  ground.    The 
altar  was  brought  to  view  by  some  workmen  who 
were  making  excavations  at  the  place.     How 
it  came  to  be   under  ground,  and  who  had 
built  it,  no  one   knew.     The  rumor  of  this 
great  discovery  was   spread  immediately  in 
every  direction.     Romulus  attached  great  im 
portance  to  the   event.     The   altar  had  un 
doubtedly  been  built,  he  thought,  by  the  an 
cient  inhabitants  of  the  country,  and  the  find 
ing  it  was  a  very  momentous  occurrence.     It 
was  proper  that  the  occasion  should  be  solem- 
nized by  suitable  religious  observances. 

Accordingly,  arrangements  were  made  fo* 
a  jrand  celebration.     In  addition  to  the  TO 


254  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  351. 

Plan*  for  the  fesUysL  lUoes,  games,  and  show*, 

ligious  rites,  Romulus  proposed  that  a  great 
fair  should  be  held  on  a  plain  near  the  city  at 
the  same  time.  Booths  were  erected,  and  the 
merchants  of  all  the  neighboring  cities  were 
invited  to  come,  bringing  with  them  such  ar- 
ticles as  they  had  for  sale,  and  those  who 
wished  to  buy  were  to  come  with  their  money. 
In  a  word,  arrangements  were  made  for  a 
great  and  splendid  festival. 

There  were  to  be  games  too,  races,  and 
wrestlings,  and  other  athletic  sports,  such  as 
were  in  vogue  in  those  times.  The  celebra- 
tion was  to  continue  for  many  days,  and  the 
games  and  sports  were  to  come  at  the  end. 
Romulus  sent  messengers  to  all  the  surround- 
ing country  to  proclaim  the  programme  of 
these  entertainments,  and  to  invite  every  body 
to  come ;  and  he  adroitly  arranged  the  de- 
tails in  such  a  manner  that  the  chief  attrac- 
tions for  grave,  sober-minded  and  substantial 
men  should  be  on  the  earlier  days  of  the  show, 
and  that  the  latter  days  should  be  devoted  to 
lighter  amusements,  such  as  would  possess  a 
charm  for  the  young,  the  light-hearted  and 
the  happy.  It  was  among  this  last  class  that  he 
naturally  expected  to  find  the  maidens  whom 
his  men  would  choose  in  looking  for  wives- 


B.C.  351.]  WIVES.  256 

A  great  concourse  aasembles  at  the  fair. 

When  the  time  arrived  the  spectacles  com 
menced.  There  was  a  great  concourse  at  the 
outset,  but  the  people  who  first  came,  were, 
as  Romulus  supposed  would  be  the  case, 
chiefly  men.  They  came  in  companies,  as  if 
fur  mutual  support  and  protection,  and  they 
exhibited  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  an  air  of 
suspicion,  watchfulness  and  mistrust.  They 
were,  however,  received  with  great  cordiality 
and  kindness.  They  were  conducted  about 
the  town,  and  were  astonished  to  find  how 
considerable  a  town  it  was.  The  streets,  the 
houses,  the  walls,  the  temples,  simple  in  con- 
struction as  they  were,  far  surpassed  the  expec- 
tations they  had  formed.  The  visitors  were 
treated  with  great  hospitality,  and  entertained 
in  a  manner  which,  considering  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case,  was  quite  sumptuous. 
The  women  and  children  too,  who  came  on 
these  first  days,  received  from  all  the  Romans 
very  special  attention  and  regard. 

As  the  celebrations  went  on  from  day  to 
day,  a  considerable  change  took  place  in  the 
character  and  appearance  of  the  company. 
The  men  ceased  to  be  suspicious  and  watch- 
ful. Some  went  home,  and  carried  such  re- 
ports of  the  new  city,  and  of  the  kindness, 


256  ROMTTLUB.  [B.C.  351 

The  spectaclee  continue  several  weeks. 

And  hospitality,  and  gentle  behavior  of  the  in 
habitants,  that  new  visitors  came  continually 
to  see  for  themselves.  Every  day  the  propor- 
tion of  stern  and  suspicious  men  diminished, 
and  that  of  gay  and  happy-looking  youths 
and  maidens  increased. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  men  of  the  city  were 
under  strict  injunctions  from  Romulus  to  treat 
their  guests  in  the  most  respectful  manner, 
leaving  them  entirely  at  liberty  to  go  and 
come  as  they  pleased,  except  so  far  as  they 
could  detain  them  by  treating  them  with 
kindness  and  attention,  and  devising  new 
sports  and  amusements  for  them  from  day  to 
day.  Things  continued  in  this  state  for  two 
or  three  weeks,  during  all  which  time  the 
new  city  was  a  general  place  of  resort  for  the 
people  of  all  the  surrounding  country.  Of 
course  a  great  many  agreeable  acquaintances 
would  naturally  be  formed  between  the  young 
.men  of  the  city  and  their  visitors,  as  acci- 
dental circumstances,  or  individual  choice  and 
preference  brought  them  together ;  and  thus, 
without  any  directions  on  the  subject  from 
Romulus,  each  man  would  very  naturally 
occupy  himself,  in  anticipation  of  the  genera} 
seizure  which  he  knew  was  coming,  in  mak 


B.C.  351.]  WIVES.  257 

The  laat  day  of  the  fair.  Signal  to  b«  mod*  by  Romulua. 

ing  his  selection  beforehand,  of  the  maiden 
whom  he  intended,  when  the  time  for  the 
seizure  came,  to  make  his  own ;  and  the 
maiden  herself  would  probably  be  less  terri- 
fied, and  make  less  resistance  to  the  attempt 
to  capture  her,  than  if  it  were  by  a  perfect 
stranger  that  she  was  to  be  seized. 

All  this  Romulus  seems  vtery  adroitly  to 
have  arranged.  The  time  for  the  final  exe- 
cution of  the  scheme  was  to  be  the  last  day 
of  the  celebration.  The  best  spectacle  and 
show  of  all  was  to  take  place  on  that  day. 
The  Romans  were  directed  to  come  armed  to 
this  show,  but  to  keep  their  arms  carefully 
concealed  beneath  their  garments.  They 
were  to  do  nothing  till  Romulus  gave  the  sig- 
nal. He  was  himself  to  be  seated  upon  a  sort 
of  throne,  in  a  conspicuous  place,  where  all 
could  see  him,  presiding,  as  it  were,  over  the 
assembly,  while  the  spectacle  went  on ;  and 
finally,  when  he  judged  that  the  proper  mo- 
ment had  arrived,  he  was  to  give  the  signal 
by  taking  off  a  certain  loose  article  of  drest 
which  he  wore — a  sort  of  cloak  or  mantle — 
and  folding  it  up,  and  then  immediately  un- 
folding it  again.  This  mantle  was  a  sort  of 
badge  of  royalty,  and  was  gayly  adorned  with 

21—17 


258  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  351. 

Excitement  of  the  Roman*.  Final  preparation*. 

purple  stripes  upon  a  white  ground.  It  was 
well  adapted,  therefore,  to  the  purpose  of 
being  used  as  a  signal,  inasmuch  as  any  ino- 
t'ons  that  were  made  with  it  could  be  very 
easily  seen. 

Every  thing  being  thus  arranged,  the  as 
sembly  was  convened,  and  the  games  and 
spectacles  went  on. '  The  Romans  were  full 
of  excitement  and  trepidation,  each  one  hav- 
ing taken  his  place  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
maiden  whom  he  was  intending  to  seize,  and 
occupying  himself  with  keeping  'his  eye  upon 
her  as  closely  as  he  could,  without  seeming 
to  do  so,  and  at  the  same  time  watching  the 
royal  mantle,  and  every  movement  made  by 
the  wearer  of  it,  that  he  might  catch  the 
signal  the  instant  that  it  should  be  made. 
All  this  time  the  men  among  the  guests  at  the 
entertainment  were  off  their  guard,  and  wholly 
at  their  ease — having  no  suspicion  whatevei 
of  the  mine  that  was  ready  to  be  sprung  be- 
neath them.  The  wives,  mothers,  and  chil 
dren,  too,  were  all  safe,  as  well  as  unsuspicious 
of  danger ;  for  Romulus  had  given  special 
charge  that  no  married  woman  should  be 
molested.  The  men  had  had  ample  time  and 
opportunity  in  the  many  days  of  active  socia' 


B.C.  351.]  WIVES.  259 

Th«  moment  arrlTM.  Tb*  maiden*  letod 

intercourse  which  they  had  enjoyed  with  their 
guests,  to  know  who  were  free,  and  they  were 
forbidden  in  any  instance  to  take  a  wife  away 
from  her  husband. 

At  length  the  moment  arrived  for  giving 
the  signal.  Romulus  took  off  his  mantle, 
folded  it,  and  then  unfolded  it  again.  The 
Romans  immediately  drew  their  swords,  and 
rushed  forward,  each  to  secure  his  own  prize. 
A  scene  of  the  greatest  excitement  and  con- 
fusion ensued.  The  whole  company  of  visit- 
ors perceived  of  course  that  some  great  act 
of  treachery  was  perpetrated  upon  them,  but 
they  were  wholly  in  the  dark  in  respect  to 
the  nature  and  design  of  it.  They  were 
chiefly  unarmed,  and  wholly  unprepared  for 
so  sudden  an  attack,  and  they  fled  in  all 
directions  in  dismay,  protecting  themselves 
and  their  wives  and  children  as  well  as  they 
could,  as  they  retired,  and  aiming  only  to 
withdraw  as  large  a  number  as  possible  from 
the  scene  of  violence  and  confusion  that  pre- 
vailed. The  Romans  were  careful  not  to  lo 
them  any  injury,  but,  on  the  contrary,  to 
allow  them  to  withdraw,  and  to  take  away 
all  the  mothers  and  children  without  any 
molestation.  In  fact,  it  was  the  very  object 


260  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  35L 

The  m«n  fly.  The  Romans  tecore  the  captive  maidens. 

and  design  of  the  onset  which  they  mad* 
upon  the  company,  not  only  to  seize  upon  th« 
maidens,  but  to  drive  all  the  rest  of  their 
visitors  away.  The  men,  therefore,  in  the 
excitement  and  terror  of  the  moment,  fled  in 
all  directions,  taking  with  them  those  whom 
they  could  most  readily  secure,  who  were,  of 
course,  those  whom  the  Romans  left  to  them ; 
while  the  Romans  themselves  withdrew  with 
their  prizes,  and  secured  them  within  the 
walls  of  the  city. 

In  reading  this  extraordinary  story,  we  nat- 
urally feel  a  strong  disposition  to  inquire  what 
part  the  damsels  themselves  took,  when  they 
found  themselves  thus  suddenly  seized  and 
carried  away,  by  these  daring  and  athletic  as- 
sailants. Did  they  resist  and  struggle  to  get 
free,  or  did  they  yield  themselves  without 
much  opposition  to  their  fate  ?  That  they  did 
not  resist  effectually  is  plain,  for  the  Roman 
young  men  succeeded  in  carrying  them  away, 
and  securing  them.  It  may  be  that  they  at- 
tempted to  resist,  but  found  their  strength 
overpowered  by  the  desperate  and  reckless 
violence  of  their  captors.  And  yet,  it  can  not 
be  denied  that  woman  is  endued  with  the 
power  of  making  by  various  means  a  ver* 


B.C.  35  L.]  WIVES.  26) 

Aa  incident.  A  captive  "  for  Thalawitu." 

formidable  opposition  to  any  attempt  to  ab- 
duct her  by  any  single  man,  when  she  is  thor 
oughly  in  earnest  about  it.  How  it  was  in 
fact  in  this  case  we  have  no  direct  information, 
and  we  have  consequently  no  means  of  form- 
ing any  opinion  in  respect  to  the  light  in  which 
this  rough  and  lawless  mode  of  wooing  was 
regarded  by  the  objects  of  it,  except  from  the 
events  which  subsequently  occurred. 

One  incident  took  place  while  the  Romans 
were  seizing  and  carrying  away  their  prizes, 
which  was  afterward  long  remembered,  as  it 
became  the  foundation  of  a  custom  which 
continued  for  many  centuries  to  form  a  part 
of  the  marriage  ceremony  at  Rome.  It  seems 
that  some  young  men — very  young,  and  of  a 
humble  class — had  seized  a  peculiarly  beauti- 
ful girl— one  of  some  note  and  consideration, 
too,  among  her  countrywomen — and  were  car 
rying  her  away,  like  the  rest.  Some  other 
young  Romans  of  the  patrician  order  seeing 
this,  and  thinking  that  so  beautiful  a  maiden 
)ught  not  to  fall  to  the  share  of  such  plebeians, 
immediately  set  out  in  full  pursuit  to  rescue 
her.  The  plebeians  hurried  along  to  escape 
from  them,  calling  out  at  the  same  time, 
"  Thcdassio  !  Thalassio  /"  which  means  "  Foi 


262  KOMTJLUB.  [B.C.  351. 

The  phrase  u  for  ThalMeiua"  becomes  a  proverb. 

Thalassius,  For  Thalassius."  They  meant  by 
this  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  prize  which 
they  had  in  possession  was  intended  not  for 
any  one  of  their  own  number,  but  for  Thalas- 
sius.  Now  Thalassius  was  a  young  noble 
universally  known  and  very  highly  esteemed 
by  all  his  countrymen,  and  when  the  rescuing 
party  were  thus  led  to  suppose  that  the  beau- 
tiful lady  was  intended  for  him,  they  acqui- 
esced immediately,  and  desisted  from  their 
attempt  to  recapture  her,  and  thus  by  the  aid 
of  their  stratagem  the  plebeians  carried  off  their 
prize  in  safety.  When  this  circumstance  came 
afterward  to  be  known,  the  ingenuity  of  the 
young  plebeians,  and  the  success  of  their  rnan- 
oeuver,  excited  very  general  applause,  and  the 
exclamation,  Thalassio,  passed  into  a  sort  of 
proverb,  and  was  subsequently  adopted  as  an 
exclamation  of  assent  and  congratulation,  to 
be  used  by  the  spectators  at  a  marriage  cere- 
mony. 

Romulus  had  issued  most  express  and  posi 
tire  orders  that  the  young  captives  should  be 
treated  after  their  seizure  in  the  kindest  and 
most  respectful  manner,  and  should  be  subject 
to  no  violence,  and  no  ill-treatment  of  any 
kind,  other  than  that  necessary  for  conveying 


B.C.  851.J  WIVES.  263 

Resentment  of  the  fathers  and  brother*  of  the  i 


them  to  the  places  of  security  previously  des- 
ignated. They  suffered  undoubtedly  a  greater 
or  less  dogree  of  distress  and  terror, — but  find- 
Ing  that  they  were  treated,  after  their  seizure 
with  respectful  consideration,  and  that  they 
were  left  unmolested  by  their  captors,  they 
gradually  recovered  their  composure  during 
the  night,  and  in  the  morning  were  quite  self- 
possessed  and  calm.  Their  fathers  and  broth- 
ers in  the  mean  time  had  gone  home  to  their 
respective  cities,  taking  with  them  the  women 
and  children  that  they  had  saved,  and  burning 
with  indignation  and  rage  against  the  perpe- 
trators of  such  an  act  of  treachery  as  had  been 
practiced  upon  them.  They  were  of  course 
in  a  state  of  great  uncertainty  and  suspense 
in  respect  to  the  fate  which  awaited  the  cap- 
tives, and  were  soon  eagerly  engaged  in  form- 
ing and  discussing  all  possible  plans  for  res- 
cuing and  recovering  them.  Thus  the  night 
was  passed  in  agitation  and  excitement,  both 
within  and  without  the  city, — the  excitement 
of  terror  and  distress,  great  perhaps,  though 
mbsiding  on  the  part  of  the  captives,  and  of 
resentment  and  rage  which  grew  deeper  and 
more- extended  every  hour,  on  the  part  of  their 
countrymen. 


264  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  351, 

Tlifl  cnptiTes  called  together  in  tbe  morning. 

When  the  morning  came,  Romulus  ordered 
the  captive  maidens  to  be  all  brought  together 
bef  jre  him  in  order  that  he  might  make  as  it 
were  an  apology  to  them  for  the  violence  to 
which  they  had  been  subjected,  and  explain 
to  them  the  circumstances  which  had  impelled 
the  Romans  to  resort  to  it. 

"  You  ought  not,"  said  he,  "  to  look  upon 
it  as  an  indignity  that  you  have  been  thus 
eeized,  for  the  object  of  the  Romans  in  seizing 
you  was  not  to  dishonor  you,  or  to  do  you  any 
injury,  but  only  to  secure  you  for  their  wives 
in  honorable  marriage;  and  far  from  being 
displeased  with  the  extraordinariness  of  the 
measures  which  they  have  adopted  to  secure 
you,  you  ought  to  take  pride  in  them,  as 
evincing  the  ardor  and  strength  of  the  affec- 
tion with  which  you  have  inspired  your  lovers. 
I  will  assure  you  that  when  you  have  become 
their  wives  you  shall  be  treated  with  all  the 
respect  and  tenderness  that  you  have  been 
accustomed  to  experience  under  your  fathers' 
roofe.  The  brief  coercion  which  we  have  em- 
ployed for  the  purpose  of  securing  you  in  the 
first  instance, — a  coercion  which  we  were 
compelled  to  resort  to  by  the  necessity  of  the 
case, — is  the  only  rudeness  to  which  you  will 


B.C.  351.]  WIVES.  266 

AddiwM  made  to  them  by  Bomoioa. 

ever  be  exposed.  Forgive  us  then  for  thii 
one  liberty  which  we  have  taken,  and  consider 
that  the  fault,  whatever  fault  in  it  there  may 
be,  is  not  ours,  but  that  of  your  fathers  and 
brothers  who  rejected  our  offers  for  voluntary 
and  peaceful  alliances,  and  thus  compelled  u§ 
to  resort  to  this  stratagem  or  else  to  lose  you 
altogether.  Your  destiny  if  you  unite  with 
us  will  be  great  and  glorious.  We  have  not 
taken  you  captive  to  make  you  prisoners  or 
slaves,  or  to  degrade  you  in  any  way  from 
your  former  position ;  but  to  exalt  you  to  po- 
sitions of  high  consideration  in  a  new  and 
rising  colony; — a  colony  which  is  surely 
destined  to  become  great  and  powerful,  and 
of  which  we  mean  you  to  be  the  chief  glory 
and  charm.*' 

The  young  and  handsome  Romans  stood  by 
while  Romulus  made  this  speech,  their  coun- 
tenances animated  with  excitement  and  pleas- 
ure. The  maidens  themselves  seemed  much 
inclined  to  yield  to  their  fate.  Their  resent- 
ment gradually  subsided.  It  has  been,  in 
fact,  in  all  ages,  characteristic  of  women  to 
be  easily  led  to  excuse  and  forgive  any  wrong 
on  the  part  of  another  which  is  prompted  by 
love  for  herself:  and  these  injured  maiden* 


266  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  351. 

AequlMoenoe  at  the  captives.  Cures. 

•eemed  gradually  to  come  to  the  conclusion, 
that  considering  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
case  their  abductors  were  not  so  much  in  fault 
after  all.  In  a  short  time  an  excellent  under- 
standing was  established,  and  they  were  all 
married.  There  were,  it  is  said,  about  five  or 
six  hundred  of  them,  and  it  proved  that  most 
of  them  were  from  the  nation  of  the  Sabines, 
a  nation  which  inhabited  a  territory  north  of 
the  colony  of  the  Romans.  The  capital  of 
the  Sabines  was  a  city  called  Cures.  Cures 
was  about  twenty  miles  from  Rome.* 

The  Sabines,  in  deliberating  on  the  course 
which  they  should  pursue  in  the  emergency, 
found  themselves  in  a  situation  of  great  per- 
plexity. In  the  first  place  the  impulse  which 
urged  them  to  immediate  acts  of  retaliation 
and  hostility  was  restrained  by  the  fact  that 
BO  many  of  their  beloved  daughters  were 
wholly  in  the  power  of  their  enemies,  and 
they  could  not  tell  what  cruel  fate  might 
await  the  captives  if  they  were  themselves  to 
resort  to  any  measures  that  would  exasperate 
or  provoke  the  captors.  Then  again  their  own 
territory  was  very  much  exposed,  and  they 
were  ty  no  means  certain,  in  case  a  wai 

*  See  map  of  Latium,  page  184. 


B.C.  351.]  WIVES.  267 

The  Sablnet  demand  the  restortlion  of  the  captiTM. 

should  be  commenced  between  them  and  the 
Romans,  how  it  would  end.  Their  own  popu- 
lation was  much  divided,  being  scattered  over 
the  territory,  or  settled  in  various  citiea 
and  towns  which  were  but  slightly  forti- 
fied, and  consequently  were  much  exposed 
to  assault  in  case  the  Romans  were  to  make 
an  incursion  into  their  country.  In  view  of 
all  these  considerations  the  Sabines  concluded 
that  it  would  be  best  for  them  on  the  whole, 
to  try  the  influence  of  gentle  measures,  before 
resorting  to  open  war. 

They  therefore  sent  an  embassy  to  Romulus, 
to  remonstrate  in  strong  terms  against  the 
wrong  which  the  Romans  had  done  them  by 
their  treacherous  violence,  and  to  demand 
that  the  young  women  should  be  restored. 
"  If  you  will  restore  them  to  us  now,"  said 
they,  "  we  will  overlook  the  affront  which  you 
have  put  upon  us,  and  make  peace  with  you ; 
and  we  will  enter  into  an  alliance  with  yoy 
§o  that  hereafter  your  people  and  ours  may  be 
at  liberty  to  intermarry  in  a  fair  and  honor- 
able way,  but  we  can  not  submit  to  have  our 
daughters  taken  away  from  us  by  treachery 
and  force." 

Reasonable  as  this  proposition  seems,  Bom- 


268  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  351. 

Komultu  refuse*  to  restore  them. 

u»ns  did  not  think  it  best  to  accede  to  it.  It 
was,  in  fact,  too  late,  for  such  deeds  once 
done  can  hardly  be  undone.  Romulus  replied, 
that  the  women,  being  now  the  wives  of  the 
Romans,  could  not  be  surrendered.  The 
violence,  he  said,  of  which  the  Sabines  com- 
plained was  unavoidable.  No  other  possible 
way  had  been  open  to  them  for  gaining  the 
end.  He  was  willing,  he  added,  to  enter  into  a 
treaty  of  peace  and  alliance  with  the  Sabines, 
but  they  must  acknowledge,  as  a  preliminary 
to  such  a  treaty,  the  validity  of  the  marriages, 
which,  as  they  had  already  been  consumma- 
ted, could  not  now  be  annulled. 

The  Sabines,  on  their  part,  could  not  accede 
to  these  proposals.  Being,  however,  still  re- 
luctant to  commence  hostilities,  they  con- 
tinued the  negotiations — though  while  engag- 
ed in  them  they  seemed  to  anticipate  an  un- 
favorable issue,  for  they  were  occupied  all  the 
time  in  organizing  troops,  strengthening  the 
defenses  of  their  villages  and  towns,  and  mak- 
ing other  vigorous  preparations  for  war. 

The  Romans,  in  the  mean  time,  seemed  to 
find  the  young  wives  which  they  had  procured 
by  these  transactions  a  great  acquisition  to 
their  colony.  It  proved,  too,  that  they  not 


B.C.  351.]  WIVES.  269 

Ceremony  in  commemoration  of  these  e  van  is. 

only  prized  the  acquisition,  but  they  exulted 
«o  much  in  the  ingenuity  and  success  of  the 
stratagem  by  which  their  object  had  been 
effected,  that  a  sort  of  symbolical  violence  in 
taking  the  bride  became  afterward  a  part  of 
the  marriage  ceremony  in  all  subsequent  wed- 
dings. For  always,  in  future  years,  when  the 
new-married  wife  was  brought  home  to  her 
husband's  house,  it  was  the  custom  for  him  to 
take  her  up  in  his  arms  at  the  door,  and  carry 
her  over  the  threshold  as  if  by  force,  thus  com- 
memorating by  this  ceremony  the  coercion 
which  had  signalized  the  original  marriage* 
of  his  ancestors,  the  founders  of  Borne. 


'270  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  750 

King  Acnm.  Onnlna.  Us  dirtanes  from  Rome. 


GHAPTEB   XIL 
THE  SABINE  WAR. 

WHILE  the  negotiations  with  the  Sabines 
were  still  pending,  Romulus  became 
involved  in  another  difficulty,  which  for  a 
time  assumed  a  very  threatening  aspect.  This 
difficulty  was  a  war  which  broke  out,  some- 
what suddenly,  in  consequence  of  the  inva- 
sion of  the  Roman  territories  by  a  neighboring 
chieftain  named  Acron.  Acron  was  the  sov- 
ereign of  a  small  state,  whose  capital  was  a 
town  called  Csenina.*  This  Csenina  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  only  four  or  five  miles 
distant  from  Romulus's  city, — a  fact  which 
shows  very  clearly  on  how  small  a  scale  the 
deeds  and  exploits  connected  with  the  first 
foundation  of  the  great  empire,  which  after- 
ward became  so  extended  and  so  renowned, 
were  originally  performed,  and  how  intrinsi- 
cally insignificant  they  were,  in  themselves, 
though  momentous  in  the  extreme  in  respect 
to  the  consequences  that  flowed  from  them. 

*  See  Map  of  Latium,  page  18< 


B.C.  750.]     THE  SABINE  WAR.  271 

Aeron'i  hostility  to  the  new  city.  Hta  plan*. 

Acron  was  a  bold,  energetic,  and  deter- 
mined man,  who  had  already  acquired  great 
fame  by  his  warlike  exploits,  and  who  had 
long  been  watching  the  progress  of  the  new 
colony  with  an  evil  eye.  He  thought  that  if 
it  were  allowed  to  take  root,  and  to  grow,  it 
might,  at  some  future  day,  become  a  formi- 
dable enemy,  both  to  him,  and  also  to  the 
other  states  in  that  part  of  Italy.  He  had 
been  very  desirous,  therefore,  of  finding  some 
pretext  for  attacking  the  new  city,  and  when 
he  heard  of  the  seizure  of  the  Sabine  women, 
he  thought  that  the  time  had  arrived.  He, 
therefore,  urged  the  Sabines  to  make  war  at 
once  upon  the  Romans,  and  promised,  if  they 
would  do  so,  to  assist  them  with  all  the  forces 
that  he  could  command.  The  Sabines,  how- 
ever, were  so  unwilling  to  proceed  to  extremi- 
ties, and  spent  so  much  time  in  negotiations 
and  embassies,  that  Acron's  patience  was  at 
length  wholly  exhausted  by  the  delays,  and 
he  resolved  to  undertake  the  extermination 
of  the  new  colony  himself  alone. 

So  he  gathered  together  a  rude  and  half- 
organized  army,  and  advanced  toward  Rome. 
Romulus,  who  had  been  informed  of  his  plans 
and  preparations,  went  out  to  meet  him  The 


272  ROMULUS. 


Romulua  and  Aoron  meet  on  the  field. 


two  armies  came  in  view  of  each  other  on  an 
open  plain,  not  far  from  the  city.  Romulus 
adranced  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  while 
Acron  appeared  likewise  in  the  fore-front  of 
the  invaders.  After  uttering  in  the  hearing  of 
each  other,  and  of  the  assembled  armies,  va- 
rious exclamations  of  challenge  and  defiance, 
it  was  at  length  agreed  that  the  question  at 
issue  should  be  decided  by  single  combat,  the 
two  commanders  themselves  to  be  the  cham- 
pions. Romulus  and  Acron  accordingly  ad- 
vanced into  the  middle  of  the  field,  while 
their  armies  drew  up  around  them,  forming  a 
sort  of  ring  within  which  the  combatants 
were  to  engage. 

The  interest  which  would  be  naturally  felt 
by  such  an  encounter,  was  increased  very 
much  by  the  strong  contrast  that  was  ob- 
served in  the  appearance  of  the  warriors. 
Romulus  was  very  young,  and  though  tall 
and  athletic  in  form,  his  countenance  exhib- 
ited still  the  expression  of  softness  and  deli* 
cacy  characteristic  of  youth.  Acron,  on  the 
other  hand,  was  a  war-worn  veteran,  rugged, 
hardy,  and  stern  ;  and  the  throngs  of  martial 
spectators  that  surrounded  the  field,  when 
they  saw  the  combatants  as  they  came  for- 


B.C.  750.]    THE  SABINE  WAR.  273 

Anticipations  of  the  spectators.  Romului  Tictoriooa. 

ward  to  engage,  anticipated  a  very  unequal 
contest.  Romulus  was  nevertheless  victori- 
ous. As  lie  went  into  the  battle,  he  made  a 
row  to  Jupiter,  that  if  he  conquered  his  foe, 
he  would  ascribe  to  the  god  all  the  glory  of 
the  victory,  and  he  would  set  up  the  arms  and 
spoils  of  Acron  at  Rome,  as  a  trophy  sacred 
to  Jupiter,  in  honor  of  the  divine  aid  through 
which  the  conquest  should  be  achieved.  It 
was  in  consequence  of  this  vow,  as  the  old 
historians  say,  that  Romulus  prevailed  in  the 
combat.  At  all  events,  he  did  prevail. 
Acron  was  slain,  and  while  Romulus  was 
stripping  the  fallen  body  of  its  armor  on  the 
field,  his  men  were  pursuing  the  army  of 
Acron,  for  the  soldiers  fled  in  dismay  toward 
their  city,  as  soon  as  they  saw  that  the  single 
combat  had  gone  against  their  king. 

Csenina  was  not  in  a  condition  to  make  any 
defense,  and  it  was  readily  taken.  When 
the  city  was  thus  in  the  power  of  Romulus, 
he  called  the  inhabitants  together,  and  said 
to  them,  that  he  cherished  no  hostile  or  re- 
sentful feelings  towaixl  them.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  wished  to  have  them  his  allies  and 
friends,  and  he  promised  them,  that  if  they 
would  abandon  Caenina,  and  go  with  him  to 

21—18 


274  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  750 

Karaite  of  his  victory.  Subsequent  policy  of  the  Romans. 

Rome,  they  should  all  be  received  as  broth 
ers,  and  be  at  once  incorporated  into  the 
Koman  state,  and  admitted  to  all  the  privi- 
leges of  citizens.  The  people  of  Csenina, 
when  the  first  feelings  of  terror  and  distress 
which  their  falling  into  the  power  of  their 
enemies  naturally  awakened,  had  been  in 
some  measure  allayed,  readily  acquiesced  in 
this  arrangement,  and  were  all  transferred  to 
Home.  Their  coming  made  a  great  addition 
not  only  to  the  population  and  strength  of  the 
city,  but  vastly  increased  the  celebrity  and 
fame  of  Romulus  in  the  estimation  of  the 
surrounding  nations. 

This  victory  over  Acron,  and  the  annexa- 
tion of  his  dominions  to  the  Roman  common- 
wealth, are  considered  of  great  historical  im 
portance,  as  the  original  type  and  exemplai 
of  the  whole  subsequent  foreign  policy  of  the 
Roman  state ; — a  policy  marked  by  courage 
and  energy  in  martial  action  on  the  field,  and 
by  generosity  in  dealing  with  the  conquered ; 
and  which  was  so  successful  in  its  results,  that 
it  was  the  means  of  extending  the  Roman 
power  from  kingdom  to  kingdom,  and  froir 
continent  to  continent,  until  the  vast  organi 
Bation  almost  encircled  the  world. 


B.C.  750.]    THE  SABINE  WAK.  275 

The  trophy  of  the  victory.  First  Roman  triumph. 

Romulus  faithfully  fulfilled  the  vow  which 
ae  had  made  to  Jupiter.  On  the  return  of 
the  array  to  Rome,  the  soldiers,  by  his  direc- 
tions, cut  down  a  small  oak-tree,  and  trim- 
ming the  branches  at  the  top,  and  shortening 
them  as  much  as  was  necessary  for  the  pur- 
pose, they  hung  the  weapons  and  armor  of 
Acron  upon  it,  and  marched  with  it  thus,  iE 
triumph  into  the  city.  Romulus  walked  in 
the  midst  of  the  procession,  a  crown  of  laurel 
upon  his  head,  and  his  long  hair  hanging 
down  upon  his  shoulders.  Thus  the  victors 
entered  the  city,  greeted  all  the  way  by  the 
shouts  and  acclamations  of  the  people,  who 
had  assembled, — men,  women,  and  children, — • 
at  the  gates  and  upon  the  tops  of  the  houses. 
When  the  long  procession  had  thus  passed  in, 
tables  for  the  soldiers  were  spread  in  the 
streets  aud  public  squares,  and  the  whole  day 
was  spent  in  festivity  and  rejoicing.  This 
was  the  first  Roman  triumph, — the  original 
model  and  example  of  those  magnificent  and 
Imposing  spectacles  which  in  subsequent  ages 
became  the  wonder  of  the  world. 

The  spoils  which  had  been  brought  in  upon 
the  oak  were  solemnly  set  up,  on  one  of  the 
hills  within  the  city,  as  a  trophy  to  Jupiter 


276  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  750. 

Annexation  of  more  cities.  Women  summoned. 

A  small  temple  was  erected  expressly  to  re- 
ceive them.  This  temple  was  very  small,  be- 
ing but  five  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  long. 

A  short  time  after  these  transactions  two 
other  cities  were  incorporated  into  the  Roman 
state.  The  name  of  these  cities  were  Crustu 
menium  and  Antemnae.  Some  women  from 
these  cities  had  been  seized  at  Rome  when 
the  Sabine  women  were  taken,  and  the  inhab- 
itants had  been  ever  since  that  period  medi- 
tating plans  of  revenge.  They  were  not 
strong  enough  to  wage  open  war  against 
Romulus,  but  they  began  at  last  to  make  hos- 
tile incursions  into  the  Roman  territories  by 
means  of  such  small  bands  of  armed  men  as 
they  had  the  means  of  raising.  Romulus  im- 
mediately organized  bodies  of  troops  sufficient 
for  the  purpose,  and  then  suddenly,  and,  as  it 
would  seem,  without  giving  the  kings  of  these 
cities  any  previous  warning,  he  appeared  be- 
fore the  walls  and  captured  the  cities  before 
the  inhabitants  had  time  to  recover  from  their 
consternation. 

He  then  sent  to  all  the  women  in  Rome 
who  had  formerly  belonged  to  these  cities, 
summoning  them  to  appear  before  him  at  hia 
public  place  of  audience  in  the  city,  and  in 


JB.0.750.]    THE  SABINE  WAS.  277 

Tb«  oddrew  of  Romulus.  Eta  promlaaa. 

the  presence  of  the  Roman  Senate.  The 
women  were  exceedingly  terrified  at  receiv- 
ing this  summons.  They  supposed  that  death 
or  some  other  terrible  punishment,  was  to  be 
inflicted  upon  them  in  retribution  for  the  of 
fenses  committed  by  their  countrymen,  and 
they  came  into  the  senate-house,  hiding  their 
faces  in  their  robes,  and  crying  out  with  grief 
and  terror.  Romulus  bid  them  calm  their 
fears,  assuring  them  that  he  intended  them 
no  injury.  "Your  countrymen,"  said  he, 
"  preferred  war  to  the  peaceful  alternative 
of  friendship  and  alliance  which  we  offered 
them ;  and  the  fortune  of  war  to  which  they 
thus  chose  to  appeal,  has  decided  against 
them.  They  have  now  fallen  into  our  hands, 
and  are  wholly  at  our  mercy.  We  do  not, 
however,  mean  to  do  them  any  harm.  We 
spare  and  forgive  them  for  your  sakes.  We 
intend  to  invite  them  to  come  and  live  with 
us  and  with  you  at  Rome,  so  that  you  can 
once  more  experience  the  happiness  of  being 
joined  to  your  fathers  and  brothers  as  well  as 
your  husbands.  We  shall  not  destroy  or  even 
injure  their  cities ;  but  shall  send  some  of  our 
own  citizens  to  people  them,  so  that  they  may 
become  fully  incorporated  into  the  Roman 


278  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  750, 

Generous  policy  pursued  by  Romulus.  Enlargement  of  the  oily. 

commonwealth.  Thus,  your  fathers  and  broth 
era,  and  all  jour  countrymen,  receive  the 
DOOII  of  life,  liberty,  and  happiness  through 
you  ]  and  all  that  we  ask  of  you  in  return,  is 
that  you  will  continue  your  conjugal  affection 
and  fidelity  to  your  Roman  husbands,  and 
seek  to  promote  the  harmony  and  happiness 
of  the  city  by  every  means  in  your  power." 

Of  course  such  transactions  as  these  attract- 
ed great  attention  throughout  the  country,  and 
both  the  valor  with  which  Romulus  encoun- 
tered his  enemies  while  they  resisted  and  op- 
posed him,  and  the  generosity  with  which  he 
admitted  them  to  an  honorable  alliance  with 
him  when  they  were  reduced  to  submission, 
were  universally  applauded.  In  fact,  there 
began  to  be  formed  a  strong  public  sentiment 
in  favor  of  the  new  colony,  and  the  influx  to 
it  of  individual  adventurers,  from  all  parts  of 
the  country,  rapidly  increased.  In  one  in- 
stance a  famous  chieftain  named  Cselius,  a 
general  of  the  Etrurians  who  lived  north  of 
the  Tiber,  brought  over  the  whole  army  under 
his  command  in  a  body,  to  join  the  new  colony. 
New  and  special  arrangements  were  necessary 
to  be  made  at  Rome  for  receiving  so  sudden 
%nd  so  large  an  accession  to  the  numbers  of 


B.C. 750.]    THE  SABINE  WAB.  279 

Plan*  of  the  Sablnea.  They  mature  their  preparationa. 

the  people,  and  accordingly  a  new  eminence, 
one  which  had  been  hitherto  without  the  city, 
was  now  inclosed,  and  brought  within  the 
poemerium.  This  hill  received  the  name  of 
Cselius,  from  the  general  whose  army  occupied 
it.  The  city  was  extended  too  at  the  same 
time  on  the  other  side  toward  the  Tiber.  The 
walls  were  continued  down  to  the  very  bank 
of  the  river,  and  thence  carried  along  the 
bank  so  as  to  present  a  continued  defense  on 
that  side,  except  at  one  place  where  there  was 
a  great  gate  leading  to  the  water. 

During  all  this  time,  however,  the  Sabines 
still  cherished  the  spirit  of  resentment  and 
hostility,  and  instead  of  being  conciliated  by 
the  forbearance  and  generosity  of  the  Ro- 
mans, were  only  excited  to  greater  jealousy 
and  ill-will  at  witnessing  the  proofs  of  their 
increasing  influence  and  power.  They  em- 
ployed themselves  in  maturing  their  plans  for 
a  grand  onset  against  the  new  colony,  and 
with  the  intention  to  make  the  blow  which 
they  were  about  to  strike  effectual  and  final 
they  took  time  to  arrange  their  preparations 
on  the  most  extensive  scale,  and  to  mature 
them  in  the  most  deliberate  and  thorough 
manner.  They  enlisted  troops  ;  they  collected 


580  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  748 

Preparations  of  the  Romans.  TiUu  Tatin*. 

«tores  of  provisions  and  munitions  of  war ; 
they  formed  alliances  with  such  states  lying 
beyond  them  as  they  could  draw  into  their 
quarrel ;  and  finally,  when  all  things  werg 
ready,  they  assembled  their  forces  upon  the 
frontier,  and  prepared  for  the  onset.  The 
name  of  the  general  who  was  placed  in  com 
mand  of  this  mighty  host  was  Titus  Tatius. 

In  the  mean  time,  Romulus  and  the  people 
of  the  city  were  equally  busy  in  making 
preparations  for  defense.  They  procured  and 
laid  up  in  magazines,  great  stores  of  provi- 
sions for  the  use  of  the  city.  They  strength- 
ened and  extended  the  walls,  and  built  new 
ramparts  and  towers  wherever  they  were 
needed.  Numitor  rendered  very  essential  aid 
to  his  grandson  in  these  preparations.  He 
sent  supplies  of  weapons  to  him  for  the  use  of 
the  men,  and  furnished  various  military  en- 
gines, such  as  were  used  in  those  times  in  the 
attack  and  defense  of  besieged  cities.  In 
fact,  the  preparations  on  both  sides  were  of 
he  most  extensive  character,  and  seemed  to 
portend  a  very  resolute  and  determined  con- 
test. 

When  all  things  were  thus  ready,  the  Sa- 
bines,  before  actually  striking  the  blow  for 


B.C.  748.]     THE  SABINE  WAR.  281 

final  negotiations.  The  Roman  herdjman. 

which  they  had  been  so  long  and  so  deliber- 
ately preparing,  concluded  to  send  one  more 
final  embassy  to  Romulus,  to  demand  the  sur- 
render of  the  women.  This  was  of  course  only 
a  matter  of  form,  as  they  must  have  known 
well  from  what  had  already  passed  that  Rom- 
ulus would  not  now  yield  to  such  a  proposal. 
He  did  not  yield.  He  sent  back  word  in  an- 
swer to  their  demand,  that  the  Sabine  women 
were  all  well  settled  in  Rome,  and  were  con- 
tented and  happy  there  with  their  husbands 
and  friends,  and  that  he  could  not  think  now 
of  disturbing  them.  This  answer  having  been 
received,  the  Sabines  prepared  for  the  onset. 
There  was  a  certain  tract  of  country  sur- 
rounding Rome  which  belonged  to  the  people 
of  the  city,  and  was  cultivated  by  them.  This 
land  was  used  partly  for  tillage  and  partly 
foi  the  pasturage  of  cattle,  but  principally  for 
the  latter,  as  the  rearing  of  flocks  and  herds 
was,  for  various  reasons,  a  more  advantageous 
mode  of  procuring  food  for  man  in  those 
ancient  days  than  the  culture  of  the  ground. 
The  rural  population,  therefore,  of  the  Roman 
territory  consisted  chiefly  of  herdsmen ;  and 
when  the  approaching  danger  from  the  Sa- 
bines  became  imminent,  Romulus  called  all 


282  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  748 

Flocks  and  herds  called  In.  The  oitadeL  Tarpeia. 

these  herdsmen  in,  and  required  the  flocks  of 
sheep  and  the  herds  of  cattle  to  be  driven  to 
the  rear  of  the  city,  and  shut  up  in  an  in- 
closure  there,  where  they  could  be  more 
easily  defended.  Thus  the  Sabine  army  found, 
when  they  were  ready  to  cross  the  frontier, 
that  the  Roman  territory,  on  that  side,  was 
deserted  and  solitary;  and  that  there  was 
nothing  to  oppose  them  in  advancing  across 
it  almost  to  the  very  gates  of  Rome. 

They  advanced  accordingly,  and  when  they 
came  near  to  the  city  they  found  that  Romulus 
had  taken  possession  of  two  hills  without  the 
walls,  where  he  had  entrenched  himself  in 
great  force.  These  two  hills  were  named  the 
Esquiline  and  Quirinal  hills.  The  city  itself 
included  two  other  hills,  namely,  the  Palatine 
and  the  Capitoline.  The  Capitoline  hill  was 
the  one  on  which  the  asylum  had  formerly 
been  built,  and  it  was  now  the  citadel.  The 
citadel  was  surrounded  on  all  parts  with  ram- 
parts and  towers  which  overlooked  and  com- 
manded all  the  neighboring  country.  The 
command  of  this  fortress  was  given  to  Tar- 
peius,  a  noble  Roman.  He  had  a  daughter 
named  Tarpeia,  whose  name  afterward  be- 
came greatly  celebrated  in  history,  on  account 


B.C. 748.]     THE  SABINE  WAR.  282 

The  Campos  Martin*.  Farley  wltL  Tarpeia. 

of  the  part  which  she  took  in  the  events  o/ 
this  siege,  as  will  presently  appear. 

At  the  foot  of  the  Capitoline  hill,  and  OB 
the  western  side  of  it,  that  is,  the  side  away 
from  the  city,  there  was  a  spacious  plain 
which  was  afterward  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  city,  and  used  as  a  parade-ground, 
under  the  name  of  Campus  Martius,  which 
words  mean  the  "War  Field."  This  field 
was  now,  however,  an  open  plain,  and  the 
Sabine  army  advancing  to  it,  encamped  upon 
it.  The  Sabine  forces  were  much  more  nu- 
merous than  those  of  the  Romans,  but  the 
latter  were  so  well  guarded  and  protected  by 
their  walls  and  fortifications,  that  Titus  Tatius 
saw  no  feasible  way  of  attacking  them  with 
any  prospect  of  success.  At  last,  one  day  as 
some  of  his  officers  were  walking  around  the 
Capitoline  hill,  looking  at  the  walls  of  the 
citadel,  Tarpeia  came  to  one  of  the  gates, 
which  was  in  a  retired  and  solitary  position, 
and  entered  into  a  parley  with  the  men.  The 
story  of  what  followed  is  variously  related  by 
different  historians,  and  it  is  now  difficult  to 
ascertain  the  actual  truth  respecting  it.  The 
account  generally  received  is  this : — 

Tarpeia  had  observed  the  soldiers  from  the 


r284 


ROMULUS. 


Agreement  made  with  Tarpeia. 


walls,  and  her  attention  had  been  attracted 
by  the  bracelets  and  rings  which  they  wore ; 
and  she  finally  made  an  agreement  with  the 
Sabines  that  she  would  open  the  postern  gate 
in  the  night,  and  let  them  in,  if  they  would 
give  her  what  they  wore  upon  their  arms, 
meaning  the  ornaments  which  had  attracted 
her  attention.  The  Sabines  bound  themselves 
to  do  this  and  then  went  away.  Titius  Tatius, 
accordingly,  when  informed  of  this  arrange- 


PROMISING  THE  BRACELETS. 


B.C.  747.J    THE  SABINE  WAB. 

Tfa*  Sablnei  admitted.  Tarpeia  killed. 

ment,  detailed  a  strong  detachment  of  troops, 
and  gave  them  orders  to  repair  at  night  in  & 
very  silent  and  secret  manner  to  the  gate 
which  had  been  designated  as  the  place  where 
they  were  to  be  let  in.  It  is  asserted,  how- 
ever, by  some  writers,  that  this  apparent 
treachery  on  the  part  of  Tarpeia  was  only  a 
deep-laid  stratagem  on  her  part  to  draw  the 
Sabines  into  a  snare ;  and  that  she  sent  word 
to  Romulus,  informing  him  of  the  agreement 
which  she  had  made,  in  order  that  he  might 
secretly  dispatch  a  strong  force  to  take  their 
position  at  the  gate,  and  intercept  and  cap- 
ture the  Sabine  party  as  soon  as  they  should 
come  in.  But  if  this  was  Tarpeia's  design,  it 
totally  failed.  The  Sabines,  when  they  came 
at  midnight  to  the  postern  gate  which  Tarpeia 
opened  for  them,  came  in  sufficient  force  to 
bear  down  all  opposition ;  and  in  fulfillment 
of  their  promise  to  give  Tarpeia  what  they 
wore  upon  their  arms  they  threw  their  heavy 
oucklers  upon  her  until  she  was  crushed  down 
oeneath  the  weight  of  them  and  killed. 

A  steep  rock  which  forms  that  side  of  the 
Oapitoline  hill  is  called  the  Tarpeian  rock,  in 
memory  of  this  maiden,  to  the  present  day. 

In  this  way  the  Sabines  gained  possession- 


280  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  747 

The  two  armies  meet  on  the  plain. 

of  the  citadel,  though  Komulus  still  held  the 
main  city.  The  Romans  were  of  course  ex- 
tremely disconcerted  at  the  loss  of  the  citadel, 
and  Romulus,  finding  that  the  danger  was 
now  extremely  imminent,  resolved  no  longer 
to  stand  on  the  defensive,  but  to  come  out 
upon  the  plain  and  offer  the  Sabines  battle. 
He  accordingly  brought  his  forces  out  of  the 
city  and  took  up  a  strong  position  with  them, 
between  the  Capitoline  and  Palatine  hills, 
with  his  front  toward  the  Campus  Martius, 
where  the  main  body  of  the  Sabines  were 
posted.  Thus  the  armies  were  confronted 
against  each  other  on  the  plain,  the  Romans 
holding  the  city  and  the  Palatine  hill  as  a 
stronghold  to  retreat  to  in  case  of  necessity, 
while  the  Sabines  in  the  same  manner  could 
seek  refuge  on  the  Capitoline  hill  and  in  the 
citadel. 

Things  being  in  this  state  a  series  of  desper- 
ate but  partial  contests  ensued,  which  were 
continued  for  several  days,  when  at  length  a 
general  battle  came  on.  During  all  this  time 
the  walls  of  the  city  and  of  the  citadel  were 
lined  with  spectators  who  had  ascended  to 
witness  the  combats;  for  from  these  walls 
and  from  the  declivities  of  the  hills,  the  whole 


B.C.  747.]      THE    SABINE   WAR.  287 

A  truce  to  bury  the  dead.  Fresh  combats. 

plain  could  be  looked  down  upon  as  if  it  were 
a  map.  The  battle  continued  all  day.  At 
night  both  parties  were  exhausted,  and  the 
field  was  covered  with  the  dead  and  dying, 
but  neither  side  had  gained  a  victory.  The 
next  day  by  common  consent  they  suspended 
the  combat  in  order  to  take  care  of  the 
wounded,  and  to  bury  the  bodies  of  the  dead. 
After  the  interval  of  a  day,  which  was 
spent,  on  both  sides,  in  removing  the  horrid 
relics  of  the  previous  combats,  and  in  gather- 
ing fresh  strength  and  fresh  desperation  and 
rage  for  the  conflicts  yet  to  come,  the  struggle 
was  renewed.  The  soldiers  fought  now,  on 
this  renewal  of  the  battle,  with  more  dreadful 
and  deadly  ferocity  than  ever.  Various  inci- 
dents occurred  during  the  day  to  give  one 
party  or  the  other  a  local  or  temporary  ad- 
vantage, but  neither  side  wholly  prevailed. 
At  one  time  Romulus  himself  was  exposed  to 
the  most  imminent  personal  danger,  and  for 
a  time  it  was  thought  that  he  was  actually 
killed.  The  Romans  had  gained  some  great 
advantage  over  a  party  of  the  Sabines,  and 
the  latter  were  rushing  in  a  headlong  flight 
to  the  citadel,  the  Romans  pursuing  them  and 
hoping  to  follow  them  in,  in  the  confusion, 


288  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  747. 

Romnlus  in  great  personal  daifer. 

and  thus  regain  possession  of  the  fortress.  To 
prevent  this  the  Sabines  within  the  citadel 
and  on  the  rocks  above  threw  stones  down 
upon  the  Romans.  One  of  these  stones  struck 
Romulus  on  the  head,  and  he  fell  down 
stunned  and  senseless  under  the  blow.  His 
men  were  extremely  terrified  at  this  disaster, 
and  abandoning  the  pursuit  of  their  enemies 
they  took  up  the  body  of  Romulus  and  car- 
ried it  into  the  city.  It  was  found,  however, 
that  he  was  not  seriously  injured.  He  soon 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  blow  and  re 
turned  into  the  battle. 

Another  incident  which  occurred  in  the 
course  of  these  battles  has  been  commemo- 
rated in  history,  by  having  been  the  means  of 
giving  a  name  to  a  small  lake  or  pool  which 
was  afterward  brought  within  the  limits  of 
the  city.  A  Sabine  general  named  Ourtius 
happened  at  one  time  to  encounter  Romulus 
in  a  certain  part  of  the  field,  and  a  long  and 
desperate  combat  ensued  between  the  two 
champions.  Other  soldiers  gradually  came 
up  and  mingled  in  the  fray,  until  at  length 
Curtius,  finding  himself  wounded  and  bleed- 
ing, and  surrounded  by  enemies,  fled  for  his 
life-  Romulus  pursued  him  for  a  short  di* 


B.C.  746.]     THE  SABINB  WAB.  289 

The  itory  of  Cut-tint.  The  bUca. 

tance,  but  Curtius  at  length  came  suddenly 
upon  a  small  swampy  pool,  which  was  formed 
of  water  that  had  been  left  by  the  inundation* 
of  the  river  in  some  old  deserted  channel, 
and  which  was  now  covered  and  almost  con- 
cealed by  some  sort  of  mossy  and  floating 
vegetation.  Curtius  running  headlong,  and 
paying  little  heed  to  his  steps  fell  into  this 
hole,  and  sank  in  the  water.  Romulus  sup- 
posed of  course  that  he  would  be  drowned 
there,  and  so  turned  away  and  went  to  find 
some  other  enemy.  Curtius,  however,  suc- 
ceeded in  crawling  out  of  the  pond  into  which 
he  had  fallen ;  and  in  commemoration  of  the 
incident  the  pond  was  named  Lake  Curtius, 
which  name  it  retained  for  centuries  after- 
ward, when,  not  only  had  all  the  water  dis- 
appeared, but  the  place  itself  had  been  filled 
up,  and  had  been  covered  with  streets  and 
houses. 

The  combats  between  the  Romans  and  the 
Sabines  were  continued  for  several  days, 
during  all  which  time  the  Sabine  women,  on 
whose  account  it  was  that  this  dreadful  quar- 
rel had  arisen,  were  suffering  the  greatest 
anxiety  and  distress.  They  loved  their  fathers 
and  brothers,  but  then  they  loved  their  hus- 
21—19 


290  ROMULUS,  [B.C  746 

Distress  of  the  Sabine  women. 


bands  too  ;  and  they  were  overwhelmed  witk 
anguish  at  the  thought  that  day  after  day 
those  who  were  equally  dear  to  them  were 
engaged  in  fighting  and  destroying  one  an- 
other, and  that  they  could  do  nothing  to  ar 
rest  so  unnatural  a  hostility. 

At  length,  however,  after  suffering  extreme 
distress  for  many  days,  a  crisis  arrived  when 
they  found  that  they  could  interpose.  Both 
parties  had  become  somewhat  weary  of  the 
contest.  Neither  could  prevail  over  the  other, 
and  yet  neither  was  willing  to  yield.  The 
Sabines  could  not  bring  themselves  to  submit 
to  so  humiliating  an  alternative  as  to  with- 
draw from  Home  and  leave  their  daughters 
and  sisters  in  the  captors'  hands,  after  all  the 
grand  preparations  which  they  had  made  for 
retaking  them.  And  on  the  other  hand  the 
Romans  could  not  take  those,  who,  whatever 
had  been  their  previous  history,  were  now  liv- 
ing happily  as  wives  and  mothers,  each  in  her 
own  house  in  the  city,  and  give  them  up  to 
an  army  of  invaders,  demanding  them  with 
threats  and  violence,  without  deep  dishonor. 
Thus,  though  there  was  a  pause  in  the  conflict, 
and  both  parties  were  weary  of  it,  neither 
was  willing  to  yield,  and  both  were  preparing 


B.C.  746.]    THE  SABINB  WAB.  291 

The  plan  of  Henilia.  The  women  admitted  to  the  senate  house. 

to  return  to  the  struggle  with  new  determina- 
tion and  vigor. 

The  Sabine  women  thought  that  they  might 
now  interpose.  A  lady  named  Hersilia,  who 
is  often  mentioned  as  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent among  the  number,  proposed  this  meas- 
ure and  made  the  arrangements  for  carrying 
it  into  effect.  She  assembled  her  country- 
women and  explained  to  them  her  plan, 
which  was  that  they  should  go  in  a  body  to 
the  Roman  Senate,  and  ask  permission  to  in- 
tercede between  the  contending  nations,  and 
plead  for  peace. 

The  company  of  women,  taking  their  chil- 
dren with  them,  all  of  whom  were  yet  very 
young,  went  accordingly  in  a  body  to  the 
senate-chamber,  and  asked  to  be  admitted. 
The  doors  were  opened  to  them,  and  they 
went  in.  They  all  appeared  to  be  in  great 
distress  and  agitation.  The  grief  and  anxi- 
ety which  they  had  suffered  during  the  pro- 
gress of  the  war  still  continued,  and  they 
oegged  the  Senate  to  let  them  go  out  to  the 
camp  of  the  Sabines,  and  endeavor  to  per- 
suade them  to  make  peace.  The  Senate  were 
disposed  to  consent.  The  women  wished  to 
take  their  children  with  them,  but  some  of 


292  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  746 

Arrangements  for  the  Intercession  of  the  women. 

the  Romans  imagined  that  there  might,  per- 
haps, be  danger,  that  under  pretense  of  inter- 
ceding for  peace,  they  were  really  intending 
to  make  their  escape  from  Rome  altogether. 
So  it  was  insisted  that  they  should  leave  their 
children  behind  them  as  hostages  for  their  re- 
turn, excepting  that  such  as  had  two  children 
were  allowed  to  take  one,  which  plan  it  was 
thought  would  aid  them  in  moving  the  com- 
passion of  their  Sabine  relatives. 

The  women,  accordingly,  left  the  senate- 
chamber,  and  with  their  children  in  their 
arms,  their  hair  disheveled,  their  robes  dis- 
ordered, and  their  countenances  wan  with 
grief,  went  in  mournful  procession  out 
through  the  gate  of  the  city.  They  passed 
across  the  plain  and  advanced  toward  the 
citadel.  They  were  admitted,  and  after  some 
delay,  were  ushered  into  the  council  of  the 
Sabines.  Here  their  tears  and  exclamations 
of  grief  broke  forth  anew.  When  silence  was 
Ji  some  measure  restored,  Hersilia  addressed 
the  Sabine  chieftains,  saying,  that  she  and 
faer  companions  had  come  to  beg  their  coun- 
trymen to  put  an  end  to  the  war.  "  We  know," 
•aid  she,  "  that  you  are  waging  it  on  our  ac- 
count, and  we  see  in  all  that  you  have  done 


B.C. 746.]     THE  SABINE  WAR.  293 

The  address  of  Henrilia.  Effect  of  U 

proofs  of  your  love  for  us.  In  fact,  it  was  our 
supposed  interests  which  led  you  to  com> 
mence  it,  but  now  our  real  interests  require 
that  it  should  be  ended.  It  is  true  that  when 
we  were  first  seized  by  the  Romans  we  felt 
greatly  wronged,  but  having  submitted  to  our 
fate,  we  have  now  become  settled  in  our  new 
homes,  and  are  contented  and  happy  in  them. 
We  love  our  husbands  and  love  our  children ; 
and  we  are  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness 
and  respect  by  all.  Do  not  then,  under  a 
mistaken  kindness  for  us,  attempt  to  tear  us 
away  again,  or  continue  this  dreadful  war, 
which,  though  ostensibly  on  our  account,  and 
for  our  benefit,  is  really  making  us  inexpres- 
sibly miserable." 

This  intercession  produced  the  effect  which 
might  have  been  expected  from  it.  The  Sa- 
bines  and  Romans  immediately  entered  upon 
negotiations  for  peace,  and  peace  is  easily 
made  where  both  parties  are  honestly  desirous 
of  making  it.  In  fact,  a  great  reaction  took 
place,  so  that  from  the  reckless  and  desperate 
hostility  which  the  two  nations  had  felt  for 
each  other,  there  succeeded  so  friendly  a  sen- 
timent, that  in  the  end  a  treaty  of  union  was 
made  between  the  two  nations.  It  was  agreed 


294  KOMULUS.  [B.C.  746, 

Conditions  and  term*  of  peace. 

that  the  two  nations  should  be  merged  into 
one.  The  Sabine  territory  was  to  be  annexed 
to  that  of  Kome,  and  Titus  Tatius,  with  the 
principal  Sabine  chieftains,  were  to  remove 
to  Rome,  which  was  thenceforth  to  be  the 
capital  of  the  new  kingdom.  In  a  word, 
never  was  a  reconciliation  between  two  bel- 
ligerent nations  so  sudden  and  so  complete. 


B.U.764:.]      THE  CONCLUSION.  295 

Romuliu  reigns  In  conjunction  with  the  Babln*  king. 


CHAPTKB  XIII. 
THE   CONCLUSION. 

A  FTER  the  termination  of  the  Sabine  war, 
*•*-  Romulus  continued  to  reign  many  years, 
and  his  reign,  although  no  very  exact  and  sys 
tematic  history  of  it  was  recorded  at  the  timev 
seems  to  have  presented  the  usual  variety  of 
incidents  and  vicissitudes  ;  and  yet,  not  with 
standing  occasional  and  partial  reverses,  the 
city,  and  the  kingdom  connected  with  it,  made 
rapid  progress  in  wealth  and  population. 

For  four  or  five  years  after  the  union  of  the 
Sabines  with  the  Romans,  Titus  Tatius  was  in 
some  way  or  other  associated  with  Romulus 
in  the  government  of  the  united  kingdom. 
Romulus,  during  all  this  time,  had  his  house 
and  his  court  on  the  Palatine  hill,  where  the 
city  had  been  originally  built,  and  where  moss 
of  the  Romans  lived.  The  head-quarters  oi 
the  Sabine  chieftain  were,  on  the  other  hand, 
upon  the  Capitoline  hill,  which  was  the  place 
on  which  the  citadel  was  situated  that  hia 
troops  had  taken  possession  of  in  the  course 


296  .      ROMULUS.  [B.C.  741, 

The  Roman  Forum.  Growth  of  the  city. 

of  the  war,  and  which  it  seems  they  continued 
to  occupy  after  the  peace.  The  space  between 
the  two  hills  was  set  apart  as  a  market-place, 
orybnm,  as  it  was  called  in  their  language, 
— that  place  being  designated  for  the  purpose 
on  account  of  its  central  and  convenient  sit- 
uation. When  afterward  that  portion  of  the 
city  became  filled  as  it  did  with  magnificent 
streets  and  imposing  architectural  edifices, 
the  space  which  Romulus  had  set  apart  for  a 
market  remained  an  open  public  square,  and 
as  it  was  the  scene  in  which  transpired  some 
of  the  most  remarkable  events  connected  with 
Roman  history,  it  became  renowned  through- 
out the  world  under  the  name  of  the  Roman 
Forum. 

In  consequence  of  the  union  of  the  Romans 
»nd  the  Sabines,  and  of  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  city  in  population  and  power  which  fol- 
lowed, the  Roman  state  began  soon  to  rise  to 
BO  high  a  position  in  relation  to  the  surround 
ing  cities  and  kingdoms,  as  soon  to  take  prece 
dence  of  them  altogether.  This  was  owing, 
however,  in  part  undoubtedly,  to  the  character 
of  the  men  who  governed  at  Rome.  The 
measures  which  they  adopted  in  founding  the 
city,  and  in  sustaining  it  through  the  first 


B.0.741.J      THE  CONCLUSION.  297 

Bold  and  comprehensive  meaeures.  Ounerla. 

years  of  its  existence,  as  described  in  the  fore- 
going chapters,  were  all  of  a  very  extraordi- 
nary character,  and  evinced  very  extraordinary 
qualities  in  the  men  who  devised  them.  These 
measures  were  bold,  comprehensive  and  saga- 
cious, and  they  were  carried  out  with  a  certain 
combination  of  courage  and  magnanimity 
which  always  gives  to  those  who  possess  it, 
and  who  are  in  a  position  to  exercise  it  on  a 
commanding  scale,  great  ascendency  over  the 
minds  of  men.  They  who  possess  these  quali 
ties  generally  feel  their  power,  and  are  usually 
not  slow  to  assert  it.  A  singular  and  striking 
instance  of  this  occurred  not  many  years  after 
the  peace  with  the  Sabines.  There  was  a  city 
at  some  distance  from  Rome  called  Cameria, 
whose  inhabitants  were  a  lawless  horde,  and 
occasionally  parties  of  them  made  incursions, 
as  was  said,  into  the  surrounding  countries, 
for  plunder.  The  Roman  Senate  sent  word  to 
the  government  of  the  city  that  such  accusa- 
tions were  made  against  them,  and  very  coolly 
cited  them  to  appear  at  Rome  for  trial.  The 
Gamerians  of  course  refused  to  come.  The 
Senate  then  declared  war  against  them,  and 
sent  an  army  to  take  possession  of  the  city, 
proceeding  to  act  in  the  case  precisely  as  if 


298  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  741 

Difficulty  with  Titus  Tatiu*. 

the  Roman  government  constituted  a  judicial 
tribunal,  having  authority  to  exercise  jurisdio 
tion,  and  to  enforce  law  and  order,  among  alJ 
the  nations  around  them.  In  fact,  Rome  con 
tinued  to  assert  and  to  maintain  this  authority 
over  a  wider  and  wider  circle  every  year,  until 
in  the  course  of  some  centuries  after  Romu- 
lus's  day,  she  made  herself  the  arbiter  of  the 
world. 

Titius  Tatius  shared  the  supreme  power 
with  Romulus  at  Rome  for  several  years,  and 
the  two  monarchs  continued  during  this  time 
to  exercise  their  joint  power  in  a  much  more 
harmonious  manner  than  would  have  been 
supposed  possible.  At  length,  however,  causes 
of  disagreement  began  to  occur,  and  in  the 
end  open  dissension  took  place,  in  the  course 
of  which  Tatius  came  to  his  end  in  a  very 
sudden  and  remarkable  manner.  A  party  of 
soldiers  from  Rome,  it  seems,  had  been  com 
mitting  some  deed  of  violence  at  Lavinium, 
the  ancient  city  which  ./Eneas  had  built  when 
he  first  arrived  in  Latium.  The  people  of 
Lavinium  complained  to  Romulus  against 
these  marauders.  It  happened,  however,  that 
the  guilty  men  were  chiefly  Sabines,  and  in 
the  discussions  which  took  place  at  Rome 


B.O.  741.]     THE  CONCLUSION. 

Controversy  between  Romulus  and  latins. 

afterward  in  relation  to  the  affair,  Tatius  took 
their  part,  and  endeavored  to  shield  them, 
while  Komulus  seemed  disposed  to  give  them 
up  to  the  Lavinians  for  punishment.  "  They 
are  robbers  and  murderers,"  said  Romulus, 
"  and  we  ought  not  to  shield  them  from  the 
penalty  due  to  their  crimes."  "They  are 
x  Roman  citizens,"  said  Tatius,  "  and  we  must 
not  give  them  up  to  a  foreign  state."  The 
controversy  became  warm ;  parties  were  form- 
ed ;  and  at  last  the  exasperation  became  so 
great  that  when  the  Lavinian  envoys,  who 
had  come  to  Rome  to  demand  the  punishment 
of  the  robbers,  were  returning  home,  a  gang 
of  Tatius's  men  intercepted  them  on  the  way 
and  killed  them. 

This  of  course  increased  the  excitement  and 
the  difficulty  in  a  tenfold  degree.  Romulus 
immediately  sent  to  Lavinium  to  express  his 
deep  regret  at  what  had  occurred,  and  his 
readiness  to  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to 
expiate  the  offense  which  his  countrymen  had 
committed.  He  would  arrest  these  murder 
era,  he  said,  and  send  them  to  Lavinium,  and 
ke  would  come  himself,  with  Tatius,  to  Lavin- 
ium, and  there  make  an  expiatory  offering  to 
the  gods,  in  attestation  of  the  abhorrence 


300  ROMUIUS.  [B.C.  741 

The  difficulty  At  Lavinimn.  Tatina  killed. 

which  they  both  felt  for  so  atrocious  a  crime 
as  waylaying  and  murdering  the  embassadors 
of  a  friendly  city.  Tatius  was  compelled  tc 
assent  to  these  measures,  though  he  yielded 
very  reluctantly.  He  could  not  openly  de- 
fend such  a  deed  as  the  murder  of  the  envoys; 
and  so  he  consented  to  accompany  Romulus 
to  Lavinium,  to  make  the  offering,  but  he 
secretly  arranged  a  plan  for  rescuing  the  mur- 
derers from  the  Lavinians,  after  they  had  been 
given  up.  Accordingly,  while  he  and  Rom- 
ulus were  at  Lavinium  offering  the  sacrifices, 
news  came  that  the  murderers  of  the  envoys, 
on  their  way  from  Rome  to  Lavinium,  had 
been  rescued  and  allowed  to  escape.  This 
news  so  exasperated  the  people  of  Lavinium 
against  Tatius,  for  they  considered  him  as  un- 
questionably the  secret  author  and  contriver 
of  the  deed,  that  they  rose  upon  him  at  the 
festival,  and  murdered  him  with  the  butcher 
knives  and  spits  which  had  been  used  for 
slaughtering  and  roasting  the  animals.  They 
hen  formed  a  grand  procession  and  escorted 
Romulus  out  of  the  city  in  safety  with  loud 
acclamations. 

The  government  of  Lavinium,  as  soon  as 
toe  excitement  of  the  scene  was  over,  fearing 


B.C. 741]      THE  CONCLUSION.  301 


Romnln*  one*  more  sole  king. 


the  resentment  which  they  very  naturally 
supposed  Romulus  would  feel  at  the  murder 
of  his  colleague,  seized  the  ringleaders  of  tho 
riot,  and  sent  them  bound  to  Rome,  to  place 
them  at  the  disposal  of  the  Roman  govern 
ment.  Romulus  sent  them  back  unharmed, 
directing  them  to  say  to  the  Lavinian  govern- 
ment, that  he  considered  the  death  of  Tatius, 
though  inflicted  in  a  mode  lawless  and  unjus- 
tifiable, as  nevertheless,  in  itself,  only  a  just 
expiation  for  the  murder  of  the  Lavinian  em- 
bassadors,  which  Tatius  had  instigated  or 
authorized. 

The  Sabines  of  Rome  were  for  a  time 
greatly  exasperated  at  these  occurrences,  but 
Romulus  succeeded  in  gradually  quieting  and 
calming  them,  and  they  finally  acquiesced  in 
his  decision.  Romulus  thus  became  once 
more  the  sole  and  undisputed  master  of  Rome. 

After  this  the  progress  of  the  city  in  wealth 
and  prosperity,  from  year  to  year,  was  steady 
and  sure,  interrupted,  it  is  true,  by  occasiona. 
and  temporary  reverses,  but  with  no  real  ret- 
rocession at  any  time.  Causes  of  disagree- 
ment arose  from  time  to  time  with  neighboring 
states,  and,  in  such  cases,  Romulus  always 
first  sent  a  summons  to  the  party  implicated. 


802  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  730. 

Rome  utumea  a  general  jurisdiction  orer  other  tUtea. 

whether  king  or  people,  citing  them  to  appear 
and  answer  for  their  conduct  before  the  Ro- 
man Senate.  If  they  refused  to  come,  he  sent 
an  armed  force  against  them,  as  if  he  were 
simply  enforcing  the  jurisdiction  of  a  tribunal 
of  justice.  The  result  usually  was  that  the 
refractory  state  was  compelled  to  submit,  and 
its  territories  were  added  to  those  of  the  king- 
dom of  Rome.  Thus  the  boundaries  of  the 
new  empire  were  widening  and  extending: 
every  year. 

Romulus  paid  great  attention,  in  the  mean 
time,  to  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  internal 
organization  of  the  state,  so  as  to  bring  every 
part  of  the  national  administration  into  the 
best  possible  condition.  The  municipal  po- 
lice, the  tribunals  of  justice,  the  social  insti- 
tutions and  laws  of  the  industrial  classes,  the 
discipline  of  the  troops,  the  enlargement  and 
increase  of  the  fortifications  of  the  city,  and 
the  supply  of  arms,  and  stores,  and  munitions 
of  war, — and  every  other  subject,  in  fact, 
connected  with  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of 
the  city, — occupied  his  thoughts  in  every  in 
terval  of  peace  and  tranquillity.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  exertions  which  he  made,  and 
the  measures  which  he  adopted,  order  and 


B.C.  717.]      THE  CONCLUSION.  303 

Foundation  of  the  future  greatness  of  Ro.ne. 

system  prevailed  more  and  more  in  every  de- 
partment, and  the  community  became  every 
year  better  organized,  and  more  and  more 
consolidated ;  so  that  the  capacity  of  the  city 
to  receive  accessions  to  the  population  in- 
creased even  faster  than  accessions  were 
made.  In  a  word,  the  solid  foundations  were 
laid  of  that  vast  superstructure,  which,  in 
subsequent  ages,  became  the  wonder  of  the 
world. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  all  this  increas- 
ing greatness  and  prosperity,  Komulus  was 
not  without  rivals  and  enemies,  even  among 
his  own  people  at  Rome.  The  leading  sena- 
tors became,  at  last,  envious  and  jealous  of 
his  power.  They  said  that  he  himself  grew 
imperious  and  domineering  in  spirit,  as  he 
grew  older,  and  manifested  a  pride  and 
haughtiness  of  demeanor  which  excited  their 
ill-will.  He  assumed  too  much  authority, 
they  said,  in  the  management  of  public  af- 
fairs, as  if  he  were  an  absolute  and  despotic 
sovereign.  He  wore  a  purple  robe  on  public 
occasions,  as  a  badge  of  royalty.  He  organ- 
ized a  body-guard  of  three  hundred  young 
troopers,  who  rode  before  him  whenever  he 
moved  about  the  city;  and  in  all  respecti 


304  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  717. 

Circumstances  connected  with  the  death  of  Rnmuhu. 

assumed  such,  pomp  and  parade  in  his  de- 
meanor, and  exercised  such  a  degree  of  arbi- 
trary power  in  his  acts,  as  made  him  many 
enemies.  The  whole  Senate  became,  at  length, 
greatly  disaffected. 

At  last  oae  day,  on  occasion  of  a  great  re- 
view which  took  place  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  city,  there  came  up  a  sudden  shower,  at- 
tended with  thunder  and  lightning,  and  the 
violence  of  the  tempest  was  such  as  to  compel 
the  soldiers  to  retire  precipitately  from  the 
ground  in  search  of  some  place  of  shelter. 
Romulus  was  left  with  a  number  of  senators 
who  were  at  that  time  attending  upon  him, 
alone,  on  the  shore  of  a  little  lake  which  was 
near  the  place  that  had  been  chosen  for  the 
parade.  After  a  short  time  the  senators 
themselves  came  away  from  the  ground,  and 
returned  to  the  city;  but  Romulus  was  not 
with  them.  The  story  which  they  told  was 
that  in  the  middle  of  the  tempest,  Romulus 
had  been  suddenly  enveloped  in  a  flame 
?hich  seemed  to  come  down  in  a  bright  flash 
>f  lightning  from  the  clouds,  and  immediately 
afterward  had  been  taken  up  in  the  flame  to 
heaven. 

This  strange  story  was  but  half  believed 


21—20 


B.C.  717.]     THE  CONCLUSION.  307 

Burners  in  circulation.  Public  opinion. 

even  at  first,  by  the  people,  and  very  soon 
rumors  began  to  circulate  in  the  city  that 
Romulus  had  been  murdered  by  the  senators 
who  were  around  him  at  the  time  of  the 
shower, — they  having  seized  the  occasion  af- 
forded by  the  momentary  absence  of  his 
guards,  and  by  their  solitary  position.  There 
were  various  surmises  in  respect  to  the  dis- 
posal which  the  assassins  had  made  of  the 
body.  The  most  obvious  supposition  was 
that  it  had  been  sunk  in  the  lake.  There 
was,  however,  a  horrible  report  circulated 
that  the  senators  had  disposed  of  it  by  cut- 
ting it  up  into  small  pieces,  and  conveying 
it  away,  each  taking  a  portion,  under  their 
robes. 

Of  course  these  rumors  produced  great  agi- 
tation and  excitement  throughout  the  city. 
The  current  of  public  sentiment  set  strongly 
against  the  senators.  Still  as  nothing  could 
be  positively  ascertained  in  respect  to  the 
transaction,  the  mystery  seemed  to  grow  more 
dark  and  dreadful  every  day,  and  the  public 
mind  was  becoming  more  and  more  deeply 
agitated.  At  length,  however,  the  mystery 
was  suddenly  explained  by  a  revelation, 
which,  whatever  may  be  thought  of  it  at  the 


808  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  717. 

Proenlusto  «ory.  The  gbixrt  of  Rwaoim 

present  day,  was  then  entirely  satisfactory  to 
the  whole  community. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  and  distin- 
guished of  the  senators,  named  Proculua,  one 
who  it  seems  had  not  been  present  among  the 
other  senators  in  attendance  upon  Komulus  at 
the  time  when  he  disappeared,  came  forward 
ane  day  before  a  grand  assembly  which  had 
oeen  convened  for  the  purpose,  and  an- 
nounced to  them  in  the  most  solemn  manner, 
that  the  spirit  of  Romulus  had  appeared  to 
him  in  a  visible  form,  and  had  assured  him 
that  the  story  which  the  other  senators  had 
told  of  the  ascension  of  their  chieftain  to 
heaven  in  a  flame  of  fire  was  really  true.  "  I 
was  journeying,"  said  Proculus,  "  in  a  solitary 
place,  when  Romulus  appeared  to  me.  At 
first  I  was  exceedingly  terrified.  The  form 
of  the  vision  was  taller  than  that  of  a  mortal 
man,  and  it  was  clothed  in  armor  of  the  most 
resplendent  brightness.  As  soon  as  I  had  in 
gome  measure  recovered-  my  composure  1 
spoke  to  it.  *  Why,'  said  I,  *  have  you  left  w« 
BO  suddenly?  and  especially  why  did  you 
leave  us  at  such  a  time,  and  in  such  a  way,  aa 
fc  j  bring  suspicion  and  reproach  oil  the  Roman 
senators  If'  4I  left  you,' said  he,  'because  it 


B.C.  717.]      THE  CONCLUSION.  309 

the  Ronuuu  wuUflod.  The  real  truth  nos  to  be  known. 

pleased  the  gods  to  call  me  back  again  to 
heaven,  whence  I  originally  came.  It  was  no 
..»nger  necessary  for  me  to  remain  on  earth, 
for  Rome  is  now  established,  and  her  future 
greatness  and  glory  are  sure.  Go  back  to 
Rome  and  communicate  this  to  the  people. 
Tell  them  that  if  they  continue  industrious, 
virtuous,  and  brave,  the  time  will  come  when 
their  city  will  be  the  mistress  of  the  world ; 
and  that  I,  no  longer  its  king,  am  henceforth 
to  be  its  tutelar  divinity.'  " 

The  people  of  Rome  were  overjoyed  to  hear 
this  communication.  Their  doubts  and  suspi- 
cions were  now  all  removed  ;  the  senators  at 
once  recovered  thai'-  good  standing  in  the 
public  regard,  ana  an  was  once  more  peace 
and  harmony.  Altars  were  immediately 
erected  to  Romulus,  and  the  whole  population 
of  the  city  joined  in  making  sacrifices  and  in 
paying  other  divine  honors  to  his  memory. 

The  declaration  of  Proculus  thrl  he  had 
•een  the  spirit  of  Romulus,  and  his  report  of 
the  conversation  which  the  spirit  had  address- 
ed to  him,  constituted  proof  of  the  highest 
kind,  according  to  the  ideas  which  prevailed 
in  those  ancient  days  In  modern  times,  how- 
tver,  thare  ie  no  faith  in  such  a  story,  and  the 


310  ROMULUS.  [B.C.  ?  17. 

The  interregnum.  A  new  king. 

truth  in  respect  to  the  end  of  Romulus  can 
DOW  never  be  known. 

After  the  death  of  Romulus  the  senator! 
undertook  to  govern  the  State  themselves, 
holding  the  supreme  power  one  by  one,  in 
regular  rotation.  This  plan  was,  however,  not 
found  to  succeed,  and  after  an  interregnum 
of  about  a  year,  the  people  elected  another 


THE   k,  N  D. 


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